The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, granted an interview to US television host Tucker Carlson on Tuesday, the Kremlin said, claiming it was arranged because Carlson’s approach differs from the one-sided reporting of many traditional western news media, Ednews reports this news citing The Guardian.
The interview was likely to be aired on Thursday, according to Russia’s Tass news agency, citing reports by the Wall Street Journal.
Speculation had been growing for days that Carlson, who was dumped by Fox last year for “getting too big for his boots”, had traveled to the Russian capital to meet Putin, whose reasons for invading Ukraine he says should be heard by the American public.
But his visit, which reportedly has included visits to the Bolshoi ballet and dining in fine restaurants, has drawn accusations that he is acting as a propaganda tool for Putin, whom he has frequently defended. Russian media, meanwhile, have hailed Carlson as a celebrity “who speaks the truth”.
