Tucker Carlson has continued his public relations tour with Putin, telling a conference in Dubai that the Russian president wants “peace” and that Moscow is “much nicer and safer” than any American city.
As if speaking for Vladimir Putin, Carlson said the leader is willing to reach a deal on Ukraine after having an “off the record” talk with him in the Kremlin.
Tucker, 54, questioned Putin last week in a hit interview, in which Putin controlled the narrative and made a series of claims about his invasion of Ukraine.
Carlson was criticized by world leaders for being a “sycophantic puppet” during the talk and for betraying his country and his audience by his lack of rigorous questions.
Now, during a speech at the World Government Summit in Dubai on Monday, Tucker said Moscow is “much nicer” than any city in the United States.
As if speaking for Vladimir Putin, the former Fox News host claimed the leader is open to a deal on Ukraine, saying he had an “off-the-record” conversation with him in the Russian capital.
Vladimir Putin was interviewed by journalist Tucker Carlson in the Moscow Kremlin
He told the crowd: ‘What was shocking to me was the city of Moscow, where I had never been. The largest city in Europe, 13 million inhabitants.
‘It is much more beautiful than any city in my country. I had no idea. It is much cleaner, safer and more aesthetically pleasing. Its architecture, food and services are like any city in the United States. And this is not ideological.
It raised the question: ‘How did that happen?’
Carlson began comparing the New York City subway to parts of the Russian capital he saw.
He said: “If you can’t use the subway, as many point out in relation to New York, because it’s too dangerous there, then you start to wonder what the purpose of leadership is.”
Carlson also told the UAE crowd that the longer the war drags on, the less incentive Putin will have to make a deal with Ukraine.
He said: “First things first, Putin wants to get out of this war.” Russia’s industrial potential is much deeper than we thought.
“Russia finds it quite easy to make missiles, rockets and artillery shells, while NATO does not.”
Carlson also told the World Government Summit that, based on the discussion between the two, he believes Putin is now prepared to reach a compromise with Zelensky, two years after he launched his brutal invasion.
He admitted that he had off-the-record conversations with Putin while he was in Russia.
Carlson also told the World Government Summit in Dubai in a speech on Monday that, based on the discussion between the two, he believes Putin is now prepared to compromise with Ukraine, two years after he launched his brutal invasion.
Vladimir Putin during his interview with Tucker Carlson
Tucker, 54, questioned Putin last week in a hit interview, in which Putin controlled the narrative and made a series of claims about his invasion of Ukraine. Carlson criticized by world leaders for being a ‘sycophantic puppet’ during chat
‘Of course, the very job of the leaders of any country on this planet, except perhaps the United States during a unipolar world, forces them to reach a compromise. “This is what is called diplomacy,” Carlson said, according to the Russian news agency TASS.
“And he (Putin) is among them (leaders who are willing to seek a compromise).”
But Carlson said Russia will only get stronger and the West must consider this.
The World Government Summit is an annual event held in the United Arab Emirates that brings together government leaders from various countries to discuss a variety of topics about our modern world.
Tucker’s interview with Putin, held on Tuesday in Moscow and broadcast on Thursday, was the first interview with a Western media figure since the February 2022 invasion.
Putin took the opportunity to push his narrative about the war in Ukraine, urge Washington to recognize Moscow’s interests and pressure Kiev to sit down for talks.
Tucker’s interview with Putin, held on Tuesday in Moscow and broadcast on Thursday, was the first interview with a Western media figure since the February 2022 invasion.
Tucker Carlson speaks at the World Government Summit, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
For more than two hours, a virtually unchallenged Putin showered Carlson with 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.
Ukraine has repeatedly said it would not make a compromise with Russia that would involve giving up its land, and has said it is determined to liberate all of its lands occupied by Moscow’s forces – including the Donbas region and Crimea – that have been annexed by Russia but are still widely recognized as Ukrainian territory.
Putin, who seemed confident and calm, made occasional friendly comments to Carlson, who seemed bewildered by the history lecture and tried to interject questions.
However, the 71-year-old Russian leader stayed on topic for more than 20 minutes, going back more than 800 years to lecture his American guest about Russia’s past.
Carlson did not ask Putin about the war crimes Russian troops have been accused of in Ukraine, or his relentless crackdown on dissent in his country.
Putin said it was up to Washington to stop supplying weapons to Ukraine, which he called a US “satellite”, and persuade Kiev to negotiate, saying a deal was the way to end the war.
“We have never refused to negotiate,” Putin said. “They should tell the current Ukrainian leaders to stop and sit down at the negotiating table.”