Two days after saying he did not know what American TV host Tucker Carlson was doing in Moscow, Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for President Vladimir Putin, confirmed to Kremlin reporters on Wednesday that the former Fox News star had interviewed the Russian leader. Sources close to the presidential administration told The Moscow Times that the visit of the popular American anchor to Moscow is a propaganda blow in both Russia and the United States. But both American and Russian journalists do not take kindly to Tucker’s PR move regarding the one who invaded Ukraine almost two years ago.

The Kremlin on Monday declined to comment on reports that American TV host Tucker Carlson is in Russia to interview Vladimir Putin, Reuters reported.

On Wednesday, Dmytro Peskov confirmed to Kremlin journalists that Vladimir Putin had given an interview to Carlson, state media reported.

According to the spokesman of the Kremlin, during the past two years, the Western media repeatedly demanded an interview from the Russian president, but “there was no point in doing it because of their prejudices”, TASS notes.

Peskov reported that Carlson met with Putin and personally interviewed the Russian president. “I wouldn’t want to prejudge, at the end of the day, this is his interview, so when he’s ready to release it, he’ll probably give all the details himself first,” the spokesman said when asked when recorded interview.

Peskov explained that the Russian president, who is seeking a new mandate in the March elections, does not want to communicate with “big media networks, traditional TV channels, big newspapers” because they are not “impartial”.

Peskov also said that he did not know when the interview would be published.

Western journalists did not “bother” to talk to Putin

Carlson, who has repeatedly questioned support for Ukraine’s military effort, announced plans Tuesday night to speak with the Russian president during his trip to Moscow. Carlson claimed that other Western journalists did not “bother” to talk to the Russian leader.

In the video, which had more than 60 million views by Wednesday morning, Carlson said he interviewed Putin because he is a journalist and his job is to inform Americans.

But Carlson’s monologue, in which he attacked the Western press and claimed that it was not trying to listen to Putin’s version, caused a reaction from American and Russian journalists, comments Politico.

“Many journalists have interviewed Putin, who also often gives speeches that are widely publicized,” wrote Ann Applebaum, an American journalist and historian, on X (formerly Twitter). “Carlson’s interview is different in that he is not a journalist, but a propagandist with a history of helping autocrats hide corruption.”

Americans do not know why Putin invaded Ukraine, the Kremlin claims

Carlson, who was fired from Fox News last year, said the interview would be posted “unedited” on his personal website.

“Most Americans have no idea why Putin invaded Ukraine and what his goals are now,” Peskov said. “They have never heard his voice. This is wrong.”

While it’s true that Carlson will be the first American to interview Putin since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago, journalists from major media outlets in the United States and Europe have been quick to point out that it’s not for lack of trying. .

Responding to a direct question about why Putin gave an interview to Carlson, Peskov said that the American’s position contrasts with the position of most Western media, Reuters notes.

“His position is different from others. It is by no means pro-Russian, not pro-Ukrainian – it is pro-American, but at least it contrasts with the position of the traditional Anglo-Saxon mass media,” said Peskov.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the interview will last two hours and will be published on Thursday, February 8.

Bump for Biden

President Vladimir Putin’s administration is trying to use former Fox News star Tucker Carlson’s visit to Moscow as a propaganda blow in both Russia and the United States, four sources close to the Kremlin told The Moscow Times on condition of anonymity.

“Tucker has been waiting here for a long time. He is happy here,” a source close to the Kremlin told The Moscow Times. “Now everyone in the president’s administration has rolled up their sleeves and is working together.”

Although the official confirmation from the Kremlin came later, the sources of the independent Russian publication claim that Carlson’s visit is in the hands of Putin.

“Even without an interview, Carlson’s arrival is already a big advantage for Putin,” said a second source close to the Kremlin.

A third source joked that after arriving in Moscow, Tucker Carlson had only two options: “Either an interview, or go to the front line in Donbas.”

Putin PR from Tucker Carlson

Carlson, who remains one of the most prominent figures on the far-right in the United States, gave the Kremlin and Putin’s publicists a big advantage over both Russia and the United States in an election year, two sources close to the Kremlin and a Russian government official told The Moscow Times.

A prominent American figure like Carlson allows Putin and his entire propaganda ecosystem to brag to the Russians that his tough policies on the Biden administration and the Democratic Party are justified.

“If the interview is published, our propaganda will use Carlson’s speech to criticize Democrats, which means he will confirm the line of our hawks down to the last detail,” a Russian government official told The Moscow Times on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak. with the press

“The boss (Putin, no) will win the election without Tucker’s help,” the official added. “But reaching the American audience through Carlson during the heated battle between Biden and Trump is again an opportunity to influence the US election, given Carlson’s huge audience,” added source.

“Suck it, Joe!”

In addition, the Kremlin simply wants to spoil the mood of the closest circle of US President Joe Biden, while he is on the election campaign.

“It’s the kind of message that says, ‘You didn’t expect this? We can do it too. Close to it, Joe!” – said a source close to the Kremlin.

Carlson is an associate of former US President Donald Trump, who is currently running in the primary and is expected to win the Republican nomination again.

Trump said he was considering nominating Carlson as his running mate this November, and there have been speculations in the US media that he is actually secretly working for the Trump campaign.

Sources told The Moscow Times that the Kremlin wanted to arrange a meeting and interview between Putin and Carlson at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in June 2023. But these plans ultimately failed.

Carlson’s visit cannot be a surprise for the Kremlin

Since Carlson needs a visa to enter Russia, his arrival in Moscow could not be a surprise for the Kremlin.

Russian state media, including the Defense Ministry’s Zvezda channel, pro-Kremlin TV celebrities and Telegram news channels immediately reported the former Fox News star’s stay in Moscow after his arrival on Thursday.

So far, Carlson was at the Bolshoi Theater at the performance of the ballet “Spartacus”, immediately after that he went backstage and pretended to be a dancer, holding a ballerina in his arms.

He also visited the exhibition “Russia” – a pre-election PR project of Putin, which boasts of the success of the economy of the country’s regions despite international sanctions.

“Comrades, do you feel bipolar?”

On Monday, the state news agency RIA Novosti reported that Tucker Carlson visited the presidential administration building near the Kremlin. After the meeting, he was seen leaving in a black van with tinted windows.

But for some Russian public figures who support the invasion and favor a more open conflict with the West, the media attention on the former Fox host is vexing.

“For the third day now, I have been watching with interest an amazing thing: how people who ridicule Ukrainians for their subservience to European politicians and public figures meticulously record Tucker Carlson’s every move and sneeze in Moscow,” wrote Moscow MP Andriy Medvedev. City Duma and former host of state television in his Telegram channel.

“He arrived by plane, ate, drank tea. How wonderful, an American visited us! How happy we are! Comrades, do you feel bipolar?”.

This is the first interview of the Russian president with a Western journalist since the invasion of Ukraine almost two years ago.