Tucker Carlson has secured an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to Moscow, the former Fox News host has confirmed.
Russian media outlets had speculated for days about the intent of Carlson's visit to the Moscow and whether he would be speaking with Putin.
Kremlin-critical journalist Alexei Venediktov posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday "as far as I understand, Tucker Carlson got what he wanted" and this was picked up by western news outlets, although it was unclear at the time whether the interview had taken place or simply been given the go ahead.
Financial Times' Moscow bureau chief, Max Seddon, wrote: "Russian journalistic gadfly Alexei Venediktov says Tucker Carlson has indeed interviewed Vladimir Putin while in Moscow."
The post was also shared by The Guardian correspondent Pjotr Sauer, who wrote: "Tucker Carlson has managed to interview Putin, according to Alexei Venediktov, the well-connected former editor of the Ekho Moskvy."
But later on Tuesday, Carlson said in a video posted to X that he was going to interview the Russian president and explained why, although did not say when it would be shown.
"Most Americans have no idea why Putin invaded Ukraine, or what his goals are now," Carlson said. "That's wrong. Americans have a right to know all they can about a war they're implicated in, and we have the right to tell them about it because we are Americans, too. Freedom of speech is our birthright."
Carlson was the host of Tucker Carlson Tonight from 2016 to 2023 before he was fired by the network in April 2023 with no official explanation given.
He had been accused of echoing Kremlin rhetoric over the war in Ukraine with comments seen as supportive of Putin and critical of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a stance that earned him praise among Russian propagandists.
In August 2023, Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of the Kremlin propaganda outlet RT, said on the Russia-1 channel that Carlson had requested to interview Putin, adding that the conservative commentator is "doing a great job."
Carlson did not confirm the veracity of Simonyan's claims, although the following month, he told Swiss magazine Die Weltwoch that he had tried to interview Putin but "the U.S. government stopped me," without elaborating.
Simonyan also addressed rumors of Carlson's appearances in Moscow, telling the same channel this week: "God willing it's true and everything works out."
Update 2/6/24, 9 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with further information.
Update 2/7/24, 5:30 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with a new headline and the story and caption have additional details to reflect new information.
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About the writer
Brendan Cole is a Newsweek Senior News Reporter based in London, UK. His focus is Russia and Ukraine, in particular ... Read more
