Putin Not Impressed With 'Patient' Tucker Carlson: 'I Didn't Get Complete Satisfaction'
Vladimir Putin is roasting Tucker Carlson for his interview skills.
The Russian president expected a hard-hitting interview when he sat down with Carlson for a two-hour conversation in Moscow last week, but the former Fox News host's questions left him unimpressed.
Speaking to Russian state television Wednesday, Putin expressed his disappointment, stating that he "didn't get complete satisfaction" from the interview because Carlson failed to pose the "sharp" questions he expected.
"And I wasn't just ready for that, I wanted it, because it would have given me the opportunity to respond sharply in kind," Putin told Russian TV propagandist Pavel Zarubin, as quoted by New Republic. "But he chose a different tactic."
According to the Russian president, he had expected the conservative political commentator to be a dangerous and aggressive interviewer, so he was surprised by Carlson's patient and restrained approach.
"He tried to interrupt me several times, but still, surprisingly for a Western journalist, he turned out to be patient and listened to my lengthy dialogues, especially those related to history, and didn't give me reason to do what I was ready for. So frankly, I didn't get complete satisfaction from this interview," Putin commented.
During the interview, which Carlson released on X, formerly Twitter, the former TV pundit avoided contentious topics such as Russian war crimes in Ukraine, political prisoners, and the upcoming Russian presidential election.
Instead, Putin discussed Russia and Ukraine's historical connections and claimed that the so-called "special military operation" in Ukraine was necessary to quash corruption and denazify the country, The Guardian reported.
He also claimed that the war would be over by now were it not for the involvement of "Western countries" in the peace process, according to the publication.
Ep. 73 The Vladimir Putin Interview pic.twitter.com/67YuZRkfLL
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) February 8, 2024
While Putin acknowledged that Carlson achieved his goal of showing Americans Russia's perspective on the war in Ukraine, the Russian president questioned during his appearance on Russian state TV "how meaningful" the resulting conversation ended up being.
The conversation with Carlson marked Putin's first interview with a Western journalist since launching the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The sit-down also comes 10 months after Fox News announced that it had parted ways with its most popular host.
In December 2023, Carlson revealed on "The Megyn Kelly Show" that he is set to launch his own streaming service called the Tucker Carlson Network.
"I'm going to do it without interference, period," Carlson said. "I'm going to tell the unadorned truth -- I hope gently and in the least offensive way as I possibly can. But I'm going to tell the truth until the day I die."
"The Tucker Carlson Encounter," "Ask Tucker Carlson," and "Tucker Carlson Uncensored" will be among the shows on Carlson's streaming service, promising uncensored conversations and question-and-answer sessions.
