Vladimir Putin is willing to compromise on Ukraine, Tucker Carlson has claimed, saying he had an ‘off the record’ chat with the Russian president in Moscow.
The American talk show host questioned the Russian leader last week in a blockbuster interview which saw Putin make a series of extraordinary claims.
Carlson told the World Government Summit in Dubai in a speech on Monday that based on the pair’s discussion, he believes Putin is now prepared to come to a compromise with Ukraine – two years after he launched his brutal invasion.
‘Of course, the very work of the leaders of any country on this planet, except perhaps the United States during a unipolar world, forces them to find a compromise. This is what is called diplomacy,’ Carlson said, according to TASS.
‘And he [Putin] is among them (leaders who are ready to seek a compromise).’
Vladimir Putin is willing to compromise on Ukraine, Tucker Carlson has claimed, days after conducting an interview with the Russian president in Moscow
Carlson is reported to have also told the summit that he had an ‘off the record’ discussion with the Russian despot, but did not specify its content.
READ MORE: How Putin dominated Tucker Carlson with his body language from the moment his interview began
The interview, held on Tuesday in Moscow and broadcast on Thursday, was the first interview with a Western media figure since the February 2022 invasion.
It saw Putin take the opportunity to push his narrative on the war in Ukraine, urge Washington to recognize Moscow’s interests and press Kyiv to sit down for talks.
For more than two hours, a largely unchallenged Putin showered Carlson with Russian history, propaganda, and Kremlin talking points.
Putin repeated his claim the full-scale invasion – which Kyiv and its allies describe as an unprovoked act of aggression – was to protect Russian interests and prevent Ukraine from posing a threat to Russia by joining NATO.
Ukraine has repeatedly said it would not come to a compromise with Russia that involved giving up its land, and has said it is determined to liberate all its land occupied by Moscow’s forces – including the Donbas region and Crimea.
Appearing confident and at ease, he made occasional friendly jabs at Carlson, who appeared baffled by the history lecture and tried to interject questions.
Nevertheless, the 71-year-old Russian leader stayed on topic for over 20 minutes.
Carlson didn’t ask Putin about war crimes Russian troops have been accused of in Ukraine, or about his relentless crackdown on dissent.
Putin said it’s up to Washington to stop supplying weapons to Ukraine, which he called a US ‘satellite,’ and persuade Kyiv to negotiate, saying a deal was the way to end the war.
‘We have never refused negotiations,’ Putin said. ‘You should tell the current Ukrainian leadership to stop and come to a negotiating table.’
Putin said the West won’t succeed in inflicting a ‘strategic defeat’ on Russia in Ukraine and rejected allegations that Moscow harbors plans to attack Poland or other NATO countries.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) attends an interview with US talk show host Tucker Carlson at the Kremlin in Moscow, February 9 2024
Russian media on Friday gave the interview blanket coverage, with major broadcasters showing excerpts and one state news agency describing it as ‘a dagger blow through the curtain of propaganda of the dishonest media of the civilized world.’
Before leaving Fox, Carlson repeatedly questioned the validity of U.S. support for Ukraine following Russia’s invasion, asking why Americans are told to hate Putin so much. His commentaries were frequently circulated on Russian state-run media.
Asked why the Kremlin granted Carlson’s interview request out of many from Western media, Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the former Fox host’s position is different from a ‘one-sided’ stance by other outlets.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow…