[ad_1]
TUCKER Carlson’s bombshell interview with Vladimir Putin is about to be launched tonight – however who’s the person breaking bread with the tyrant?
In a twisted story, the so-called “King of cable TV” is now being accused of turning into the Kremlin’s PR man as his upcoming interview is slammed as little greater than a censored puff piece.
![The Tucker Carlson versus Vladimir Putin interview will be released at 11pm GMT](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/u-s-media-personality-tucker-877521068.jpg)
9
![The US pundit announced the interview on Tuesday, stating he will finally tell the 'truth' about the Ukraine war (pictured above in Moscow)](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/NINTCHDBPICT000877470483.jpg)
9
![Critics have accused Carlson of allowing himself to be used as a propaganda tool by the Putin](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/2023-russian-president-vladimir-putin-877542715.jpg)
9
Carlson, 54, who has lengthy been adored by Russian state media, shall be treating the world to what he claims to be an “unedited” two-hour interview with the Russian president at 11pm GMT.
It should broadcast this night on his X/Twitter – a platform that Russians can barely entry because it was banned quickly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, 2022.
It’s the first time Putin has been interviewed by a Western journalist since earlier than the conflict.
Moscow stated it granted the interview as a result of Carlson was by no means pro-Russian or pro-Ukrainian, marking him as totally different from the remainder of the “one-sided” Western media.
learn extra on tucker carlson
Asserting the interview on Tuesday in a video entitled; “Why I’m interviewing Vladimir Putin”, Carlson stated he was merely doing his “job” as a journalist.
He offered it as a way for the American public to see the “reality” of the Ukraine conflict after two years of what he blasted as “lies” fed by Western media.
“You’ve by no means heard his voice. That’s mistaken,” he introduced within the video recorded from Moscow.
However the outstanding pundit is going through a media storm accusing him of appearing as a propaganda software for the dictator, who he has ceaselessly defended.
Dr James Rodgers, the previous BBC Moscow correspondent, instructed The Solar he fears Carlson will merely find yourself as “mouthpiece” for the Kremlin.
Regardless of Carlson’s claims of attending to the “reality” of what is occurring within the Ukraine conflict, Rodgers expects will probably be a extremely censored rendition of “Putin’s facet – and that is not likely the reality in any respect”.
Carlson, he stated, ought to be frightened about “historical past will decide him”.
An identical story is being instructed on varied Russian telegram channels who’ve referred to as the interview with Carlson a serious PR “coup” for Putin.
So how did Carlson get right here?
The US TV host spent a vastly profitable profession rising via the ranks of CNN and NBC to lastly land his personal night present on Fox Information in 2016.
“Tucker Carlson Tonight is the sworn enemy of mendacity, pomposity, smugness and group suppose,” the present’s synopsis learn. “We ask the questions that you’d ask – and demand solutions.”
After his departure from the community final yr, hypothesis over his future was rife.
There have been rumours of Tucker flagshipping different rival networks, establishing his personal TV channel and even makes an attempt by Russian state TV to woo him.
However his sudden tie-in with Elon Musk’s newly acquired Twitter, now X, took many without warning.
He’s now ten months into operating his personal present on the platform – nevertheless it’s a far cry from the audiences he as soon as wielded on Fox.
His first video was a weird 10-minute monologue during which he praised Putin and concurrently declared UFOs and extraterrestrial life “really actual”.
And so started Carlson slowly falling down a rabbit gap, the place he peddled conspiracy theories and ceaselessly criticised the US for serving to to arm Ukraine.
![](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/KH-TOTT-PUTIN-V-TUCKER.jpg)
9
![Carlson has been accused of frequently defending Putin and criticising the US sending military aid to Ukraine](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/u-s-media-personality-tucker-877521817.jpg)
9
Who’s Tucker Carlson?
![](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/NINTCHDBPICT000615431413.webp?crop=0px%2C15px%2C480px%2C320px&resize=620%2C413)
CONTROVERSIAL TV pundit Tucker Carlson is about to interview Vladimir Putin tonight. However who’s the person sitting all the way down to face the tyrant?
Carlson, 54, has been married to journalist Susan Andrews for 3 a long time, with whom he shares 4 youngsters, Hopie, Buckley, Dorothy, and Lillie.
The conservative broadcaster and shut Trump ally rose via the ranks of TV networks to a prime anchor place on Fox Information.
From his primetime place, he commanded intensive affect over American politics and was as soon as even tipped to be a presidential candidate.
After his departure from Fox, he’s stated to have acquired loads of provides from far and large, together with from Russian state TV, earlier than he settled on X/Twitter.
Ten months on and he’s operating his personal much less profitable, much less watched and fewer talked about video present on the platform.
His first video on it was a rambling monologue during which he praised Putin and concurrently declared UFOs and extraterrestrial life “really actual”.
In July, Carlson launched a two-and-a-half hour interview with disgraced influencer Andrew Tate, who was charged with rape and human trafficking in June in Romania.
In August, he additionally sat down Hungary’s prime minister, Victor Orbán – a person ceaselessly accused by Western policymakers of pandering to Putin.
The identical month Carlson carried out a soft-ball interview with Donald Trump and used the time to push a wild conspiracy principle about an alleged plot to assassinate the previous US president.
Since then, Carlson appeared to sink deeper into his criticism of Ukraine’s battle to defeat Russia – criticising the US sending navy help to Ukraine and seemingly defending Putin.
The interview
On his high-profile and seemingly lavish journey to Moscow, Carlson has reportedly visited the famed Bolshoi ballet and a string of tremendous eating places – together with his each transfer extremely publicised in Russia.
Sources contained in the Kremlin have referred to as it a serious propaganda coup for Putin, experiences the The Moscow Instances.
One supply instructed the unbiased outlet that “everybody within the presidential administration has rolled up their sleeves and is working collectively.”
An unnamed authorities official added: “If the interview additionally comes out, our propaganda will blast Carlson’s phrases criticizing the Democrats, which suggests he’ll affirm our hawks’ line as much as the tiniest element.”
“The chief [Putin] will win the election with out Tucker’s assist,” the official stated.
“However entry to an American viewers via Carlson through the heated battle between Biden and Trump is once more a chance to exert that proverbial affect on the U.S. election, given Carlson’s enormous viewers.”
One other supply added: “It’s that type of message, saying, ‘You did not count on that? We will try this too. Suck it, Joe!’”.
There are additionally unconfirmed rumours that the Kremlin had a heavy say over the modifying of the interview and even blocked some questions.
Telegram channel, Normal SVR, that claims to have hyperlinks contained in the Kremlin stated the interview turned “out to be horrible”.
Putin – or what the channel alleged was his physique double – “was nervous, stated a variety of pointless issues and regarded pale and weak.”
“It was determined to movie the interview once more, with out improvisation on either side and as shut as doable to the accepted textual content,” it stated.
“Now the Russian management is courting Tucker Carlson in each doable manner and attempting to create for itself, so far as doable, a constructive picture of ‘noble villains’.”
President Putin has lengthy been admired by sure strains within the US hard-right, together with by Trump, who has a historical past of praising the Kremlin chief, together with calling him a “genius” and extra “credible” than US intelligence.
Slammed by the White Home, slammed by journalists
With the information of the interview’s existence, the White Home blasted Carlson for giving a platform to Putin.
“I don’t suppose we’d like one other interview with Vladimir Putin to grasp his brutality,” Nationwide Safety Council spokesman John Kirby stated.
His false claims that no Western journalists had tried to interview Putin sparked fury on-line, significantly amid Russia’s sweeping crackdown on media freedoms.
The declare was even rebuffed by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov who instructed reporters on Tuesday: “We obtain many requests for interviews with the president.”
BBC’s Russia editor, Steve Rosenberg, wrote on X/Twitter: “Fascinating to listen to@TuckerCarlson declare that ‘no western journalist has bothered to interview’ Putin because the invasion of Ukraine. We’ve lodged a number of requests with the Kremlin within the final 18 months. At all times a ‘no’ for us.”
Russian journalist Yevgenia Albats slammed the interview as “unbelievable”.
She wrote: “I’m like a whole lot of Russian journalists who’ve had to enter exile to maintain reporting concerning the Kremlin’s conflict in opposition to Ukraine.
“The choice was to go to jail. And now this SoB is educating us about good journalism, taking pictures from the $1,000 Ritz suite in Moscow.”
Not less than 1,000 unbiased Russian journalists have fled the nation to flee from Putin’s sweeping censorship legal guidelines that criminalise any important protection of the conflict.
Wall Avenue Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has been wrongly imprisoned for nearly 11 months on trumped-up expenses of espionage, whereas different international reporters have been expelled.
![Pictures from Carlson's lavish trip to Moscow](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/NINTCHDBPICT000877470483.jpg)
9
![Rumours were rife at the start of the week over his visit](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/entering-russian-presidential-administration-877321786_05a9f4.jpg)
9
![He was seen eating at a string of fine restaurants](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/entering-russian-presidential-administration-877321680.jpg)
9
![He appeared to be pictured at Moscow's Bolshoi ballet](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/entering-russian-presidential-administration-877321774.jpg)
9
[ad_2]
Source link