After Interviewing Putin, Carlson Pursues Conversation with Ukraine’s President
In a surprising move, conservative pundit Tucker Carlson hinted on Wednesday at a potential interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. This revelation comes on the heels of Carlson’s February trip to Moscow, where he conducted a notable interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin, marking him as the first Western journalist to do so since the conflict began in February 2022.
“Looks like we’ve got the Zelensky interview. We’ve been trying for two years, and with particular intensity after interviewing Putin in February,” Carlson announced on X, formerly known as Twitter. This potential sit-down with Zelensky follows Carlson’s departure from Fox News last year, where he was known for his controversial takes, including his criticism of Zelensky and the Ukraine war, views that had garnered approval from Kremlin propagandists.
Carlson, who hosted “Tucker Carlson Tonight” from 2016 to 2023 before his sudden firing last April with no official explanation, stated his goal is to “bring Americans much-needed information about the conflict that’s completely reshaping their country’s position in the world.” The announcement of the possible interview with Zelensky has yet to elicit a response from Ukraine, and Newsweek has reached out to Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry and the Tucker Carlson Network for comment.
Following Carlson’s two-hour interview with Putin, the Russian president expressed his surprise over the lack of aggressive questioning. “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,” Putin remarked to Russian journalist Pavel Aleksandrovich Zarubin on state television channel Russia-1. He added that he did not “feel full satisfaction from this interview.” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov later stated that Putin agreed to the interview because Carlson’s perspective “differs” from other Western media.
Carlson’s announcement about the Zelensky interview received mixed reactions on social media. Ukrainian journalist Illia Ponomarenko endorsed the idea, saying on X, “I think Zelensky sitting down for an interview with Tucker is a good idea because there is no question Ukraine can’t give a fair answer to.” Ponomarenko further distinguished Zelensky’s candidacy for the interview by noting that, unlike Putin, Zelensky “has no need to crack freakishly weird mumbo-jumbo pseudo-historical freak Viking era theories to explain why Ukraine fights for survival in the largest European war of aggression since Hitler and why it is so important to help Ukraine win.”
However, skepticism abounds, with many voicing concerns about potential manipulation of the interview’s content. “Zelensky needs someone to video the whole interview because you can bet it will be a trap… they’ll change it and use for propaganda purposes,” one X user warned. Another echoed this sentiment, writing, “I’m more concerned about how they will doctor his answers in the final edit.”
Despite the buzz, Carlson has not provided a specific timeline for when this interview might occur, leaving followers in suspense with a tantalizing “Coming soon we hope.”
As the world watches and waits, Carlson’s potential interview with Zelensky promises to be another controversial chapter in the ongoing narrative of the Ukraine conflict. Whether it will bring new insights or further polarize opinions remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the anticipation is building, and the stakes are high.
