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](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Ut7kypdqkZxGShF57MvVvR-415-80.jpg)
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.
But from the "two-hour, hotly anticipated interview", filmed in Moscow and published on "the far-right commentator's website" on Thursday, "nuggets of Putin-think emerged", said Politico.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What did the commentators say?
Putin "agreed to this chat from a position of relative strength", said the BBC's Eastern Europe correspondent Sarah Rainsford. Ukraine's counteroffensive has "stalled", Kyiv's Western allies have been "dithering over continued military aid, especially the US", while the Ukraine's President Zelenskyy has sacked his popular commander-in-chief of the armed forces. "The situation is precarious."
That could explain why Putin – who "lectured, joked and occasionally snarled" – was "fully in charge of this encounter". Carlson "barely got a word in", Rainsford said.
Putin delivered a 30-minute "romp" through "counterfactual history", said The Daily Telegraph's deputy US editor, Rozina Sabur, before offering his thoughts on "the future of mankind".
He stressed the need for "an international agreement" on regulations to address the threat "from unbridled and uncontrolled development of AI or genetics". Putin "clearly feels one man is making leaps and bounds" towards the creation of a specialised superhuman, said Sabur: Elon Musk.
Putin also "repeated claims that Boris Johnson sabotaged a peace deal with Ukraine" in 2022, which the former UK prime minister has denied as "total nonsense".
"Prime Minister Johnson came to talk us out of it and we missed that chance," said Putin. "Well, you missed it." The Russian leader blamed Johnson's "arrogance": he acted "because of a pure heart", said Putin, "but not because of a great mind".
Carlson also asked Putin about the attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea in 2022, "prompting a curious exchange" between the two, said Politico.
"Who blew up Nord Stream?" Carlson asked. Putin responded: "You for sure." When Carlson said he was "busy that day", Putin "jokingly parried back that while Carlson personally had an alibi for the day of the bombings, the CIA had none". Putin presented no evidence for the accusation, which the US has repeatedly denied.
Putin warned that Russian defeat in Ukraine was "impossible by definition", but he "insisted he does not seek to expand the war to neighbouring countries such as Poland and Lativa", said Al Jazeera.
He denied that he had "territorial ambitions across Europe, and insisted he would only send troops into neighbouring countries if attacked first".
"It is absolutely out of the question," he said. "You just don't have to be any kind of analyst, it goes against common sense to get involved in some kind of a global war." And global war, he said, "will bring humanity to the brink of devastation".
"It was all classic Putin," said Rainsford, and Carlson "let him roll with it".
What next?
There was "plenty of swagger" from Putin about how Russia is "ready for dialogue" and "willing to negotiate" on Ukraine, said Rainsford.
Putin insisted "relations between the two peoples will be rebuilt". But he added that Moscow had not yet achieved its purported invasion goals, including the "de-Nazification" of Ukraine.
To the West, he said: "If you really want to stop fighting, you need to stop supplying weapons. It will be over within a few weeks. That's it. And then we can agree on some terms. Before you do that, stop."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Big Tech's answer for AI-driven job loss: universal basic income
In The Spotlight A new study reveals the strengths and limitations
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
'I will not be silent' on Gaza, says Kamala Harris
Speed Read In a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Harris supported Israel's right to defend itself while expressing a desire to end Palestinian suffering
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
'How long can TikTok dominate as a social network?'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
'In a normal country, their activities wouldn't even be crimes'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Is the new Palestinian unity a mirage? And how will it affect the war?
Today's Big Question 'Bitter foes' Hamas and Fatah look to the future
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
ICJ ruling: will 'damning verdict' stop Netanyahu?
Talking Point The UN's top court has ruled Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories breaks international law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
'Spare us the charade'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
Can Kamala Harris beat Trump?
Today's Big Question Some senior Democrats are unsure the vice-president can win in November even as party closes ranks behind her
By The Week UK Published
-
King's Speech: is Keir Starmer being too cautious?
Today's Big Question The Labour Party set out its plans for its first year in government
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Venezuela election: first vote in a decade offers hope to poverty-stricken nation
The Explainer Nicolás Maduro agreed to 'free and fair' vote but poor polling and threat of prosecution pushes disputed leader to desperate methods
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Trump's attempted assassination a reckoning for the Secret Service?
Today's Big Question The incident is widely being described as a massive failure by the agency
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published