When Tucker met Vladimir: did we learn anything about Putin's thinking?

Kremlin leader accused Boris Johnson of sabotaging Ukraine peace deal, insisted Russian defeat was impossible but denied plan to expand war into 'global conflict'

Russia's President Vladimir Putin gives an interview to US talk show host Tucker Carlson at the Kremlin in Moscow on February 6, 2024
Putin claimed the war in Ukraine would be over 'within a few weeks' if Western allies stopped sending weapons
(Image credit: Gavriil Grigorov/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

For the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago, Vladimir Putin agreed to an interview with a Western journalist, offering a rare window into the mindset of a reclusive pariah. 

The occasion provoked a furore of both interest and criticism, largely focused on the controversial choice of ex-Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson as interviewer.

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Harriet Marsden is a writer for The Week, mostly covering UK and global news and politics. Before joining the site, she was a freelance journalist for seven years, specialising in social affairs, gender equality and culture. She worked for The Guardian, The Times and The Independent, and regularly contributed articles to The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, The New Statesman, Tortoise Media and Metro, as well as appearing on BBC Radio London, Times Radio and “Woman’s Hour”. She has a master’s in international journalism from City University, London, and was awarded the "journalist-at-large" fellowship by the Local Trust charity in 2021.