President Zelenskyy has criticized Tucker Carlson’s fawning interview with Vladimir Putin as “two hours of nonsense” from “a killer.”
The Ukrainian leader admitted that he did not bother to observe the exchange and said he did not have time.
He made the comments during a meeting near the front with Tucker’s former colleague Bret Baier.
The full interview was broadcast on FOX special report with Bret Baier.
The Ukrainian president revealed that his advisors instead gave him a summary of some of the points.
“I don’t have time to listen to more than two hours of nonsense about us, about the world, about America, about our relations and about this interview with a murderer,” Zelenskyy said.
President Zelenskyy criticized Tucker Carlson’s fawning interview with Vladimir Putin as “two hours of nonsense.”
Former Fox host Tucker Carlson sat down with Putin in Moscow earlier this month for a two-hour exchange.
Zelenskyy also responded to claims made by Putin in the interview with Carlson that Ukraine had banned negotiations with Russia.
‘So it’s not about negotiations. I mean, the tank negotiations and the occupation of Ukraine were destroying our people. It’s not about negotiation. That’s the first thing,” Zelesnkyy said.
‘Secondly, everyone knows and everyone will tell you, both Macron and Scholz, that they spoke to Putin before the occupation, and he told them that there would be no occupation, that there would be no invasion.
And after that, just half an hour before the invasion, he sent them a note. So he can’t be trusted. And whatever he promises, well, that’s nothing.
The Ukrainian leader said he did not have time to watch the controversial interview “with a murderer” and instead summarized the main points.
He went on to thank Biden for his continued support and called on Donald Trump, who suggested giving aid rather than handing it out, to come to Ukraine to visit the front lines himself.
‘If Trump, Mr. Trump, if he comes, I am even willing to go with him at the front.
‘I am happy to see that all the candidates and all the people who make decisions or can support, not be against.
‘Just understand what the war in Ukraine means, who opened this war, who started it, what is happening, what is around, what a brilliant Ukraine we had.
‘We have a beautiful country, but, in war, it is another image and other lives. I suggest you come. I’m ready to go with him. Maybe he wants to be alone, without me. I don’t mind.
“They come to see people, just to talk to them on the street.”
Putin sat down with Carlson in Moscow earlier this month.
Carlson was unchallengeable when it came to Putin’s most bizarre claims and his outright lies about contemporary events.
In the interview, Putin took the opportunity to push his narrative about the war in Ukraine, urge Washington to recognize Russia’s interests and pressure Kiev to sit down for talks.
At one point, Tucker, 54, exclaims, ‘Look at that!’ while he smells a loaf of bread while jovial music plays. But the soundtrack turns somber when Tucker reaches the checkouts and notices the price equivalent to $400 for a week’s worth of food for him and his team.
Tucker Carlson has been mocked for a fawning video praising Moscow’s “cheap and fresh” food while overlooking the much lower wages in Russia. The former Fox firebrand strolled with a trolley through a Russian supermarket as he marveled at the price and quality of the stock.
Putin took the opportunity to push his narrative about the war in Ukraine, urge Washington to recognize Russia’s interests and pressure Kiev to sit down for talks.
For more than two hours, a virtually unchallenged Putin showered Carlson with biased Russian history, propaganda and Kremlin talking points.
Putin reiterated his claim that the large-scale invasion – which kyiv and its allies describe as an act of unprovoked aggression – was aimed at protecting Russian interests and preventing Ukraine from posing a threat to Russia by joining NATO.
Before its publication, US officials issued warnings to the public stating that Putin cannot be trusted.
The interview touched on the ongoing war, peace talks and the detention of Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich on trumped-up espionage charges.
Putin also made a series of sensational claims, including that Bill Clinton misled about his NATO membership and that Russia’s hypersonic missiles are the best in the world.
He shared his thoughts on presidents past and present, stating that he had a “very good relationship” with George Bush and “a very personal relationship” with Donald Trump.
However, the interview came under fire from critics who said Putin dominated Carlson in every way, including through his body language.
Putin, for his part, was apparently also unimpressed and complained that Carlson was asking softball questions.
“To be honest, I thought he would be more aggressive and ask tough questions,” the autocrat said of Carlson, 54, in an appearance on state television.
Carlson, who has made a career of podcasting since being fired by Fox, defended his decision to do the interview by saying it was a “duty to America.”