Russian President Vladimir Putin Rants About Conspiracy Theories & Condemns The U.S. In Uncritical Tucker Carlson Interview

In an extensive two-hour interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Russian President Vladimir Putin embarked on a revisionist historical rant that challenged the founding myths of Russia and Ukraine, discussed the breakup of the Soviet Union and expressed concerns about NATO expansionism.

While Carlson remained mostly silent or appeared perplexed, Putin used the opportunity to expound on various topics, such as the war in Ukraine, U.S.-Russia relations, the case of imprisoned journalist Evan Gershkovich and artificial intelligence.

Critics noted that Putin’s decision to engage with Carlson was influenced in part by the perceived sympathy the former Fox host has shown toward the Russian leader over the years, as well as the chance to appeal to the more MAGA-aligned factions of the Republican Party in an election year. Such an alignment could potentially bolster former President Donald Trump‘s chances of re-election and encourage Republicans to continue blocking U.S. military aid to Ukraine.

Throughout the interview, Carlson refrained from any critical questions about Russia’s attacks on civilians and critical infrastructure in Ukraine, war crime allegations against Putin, forced deportations of Ukrainian children, political crackdowns on dissidents or the imprisonment of Russians who participated in anti-war protests.

Carlson instead chose to pose increasingly obscure questions, such as whether any world leader could be considered a true Christian. At times, Carlson seemed to goad Putin into a discussion about conspiracy theories and the existence of a U.S. deep state. Whenever Carlson attempted to interject in the conversation, he was reprimanded by a condescending Putin, who stated that he would address the topic in due time.

In the interview, Putin reiterated his justification for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which included the claim of “denazification” of the country. He asserted that if Ukrainians considered themselves a separate people, it should not be based on Nazi ideology, then suggested that Ukraine was a satellite state of the United States. Putin also claimed that Russian troops had withdrawn from Kyiv in 2022 as part of a peace agreement, although, in reality, Ukrainian forces successfully repelled the Russian invasion of the capital in April 2022.

Putin warned the West not to send its troops to fight in Ukraine and questioned why the United States wanted to meddle in the conflict.

“Do the United States need this? What for? Thousands of miles away from your national territory,” Putin said. “Don’t you have anything better to do? You have issues on the border. Issues with migration, issues with the national debt. More than $33 trillion. You have nothing better to do? So you should fight in Ukraine? Wouldn’t it be better to negotiate with Russia? Make an agreement?”

“Realizing that Russia will fight for its interests to the end,” Putin continued, “[Would be] a return to common sense.”

After the interview, Carlson admitted surprise at the extensive narrative provided by Putin, a history lesson back to the nineth-century formation of Russia. Carlson expressed uncertainty about his overall impression and stated it would take him considerable time to fully process the encounter.

He acknowledged that Putin struggles to explain himself effectively but recognized the Russian leader’s detachment from the need to provide explanations.

Throughout the interview, Carlson did not push back on Putin’s revisionist historical narratives and conspiracy theories, as previous journalists have, leaving the Russian president’s ideas unchallenged.

Last April, Carlson was fired by Fox News after his racist tweets were uncovered during a defamation lawsuit brought against the network. Carlson’s name has been floated as a potential V.P. pick for former President Donald Trump.