Days after giving an interview to US television host Tucker Carlson, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he was grateful for the opportunity but at the same time, surprised by the lack of “sharp questions” from the former Fox News host.
Speaking to a Russian journalist, Pavel Zarubin, Putin said he wanted Carlson to be aggressive in his behaviour as it would have allowed him to reply, just as pointedly.
“I think that your Carlson – by saying ‘your’ I mean that he is a fellow journalist like you. He is a dangerous man,” said Putin.
“And here is why. To be honest, I thought that he would behave aggressively and ask so-called sharp questions. I was not just prepared for this, I wanted it, because it would give me the opportunity to respond in the same way,” he added.
Putin told Zarubin he was surprised that Carlson, usually known for poking his guests, did not interrupt him more.
“Frankly, I did not get full satisfaction from this interview,” Putin said, adding that he was still grateful for the role played by Carlson.
“Since we are not able to have direct dialogue [with the West] today – we have to be grateful to Mr Carlson to be able to do it by his intermediary role.”
Carlson released a two-hour interview with Putin last week that made global headlines as it was the Russian president’s first correspondence with an American journalist since the Ukraine war began two years ago.
Putin said he agreed to the interview as Carlson’s approach differed from the “one-sided” reporting of the war by other Western news journalists and outlets.
During the interview, Putin said the war with Ukraine could be over within a few weeks if the Western nations stopped supplying weapons to Kyiv.
“It will be over within a few weeks. That’s it,” he said.
Emphasising the goals of what he called the “special military operation” in Ukraine, the Russian president said it was yet to be achieved since one of the aims “is de-Nazification”.
Putin added the West now understood that Russia won’t be defeated even though Ukraine was receiving support from the US, European Union and NATO.
(With inputs from agencies)
