Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his dissatisfaction with the recent interview conducted by American journalist Tucker Carlson, accusing the former Fox News host of asking soft, non-challenging questions.
The interview, which took place in Moscow, marked the first time a Western journalist had the opportunity to interview Putin since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In a conversation with Russian interviewer Pavel Zarubin, Putin revealed his initial expectations for the interview. "I honestly thought he would be aggressive and ask so-called sharp questions. 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 said.
Despite interruptions and attempts to steer the conversation, Putin acknowledged Carlson's patience and his willingness to listen to the lengthy monologues on Russian history that Putin presented. However, the Russian president expressed his disappointment, stating, "So frankly, I didn’t get complete satisfaction from this interview."
During the two-hour interview, Putin took the opportunity to mock Carlson for being rejected from the CIA and subjected the former Fox News host to a lengthy monologue on Russian history.
Towards the end, Carlson unexpectedly asked if he could bring back a jailed Wall Street Journal reporter, Evan Gershkovich, to the United States with him, saying that Gershkovich is not a spy.
Carlson's interview garnered significant attention, receiving over a million likes on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, and accumulating more than 16 million views on YouTube.
The controversy surrounding the interview stems from Carlson's perceived soft approach toward Putin, which led to criticism from several viewers and political commentators.
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One user shared the interview, writing: "If a dictator who literally has a stranglehold on any media going in and out of his country is complaining that you're throwing softballs at him... you know you messed up big time."
Another person commented, "They weren't even softball questions. Putin was playing T-ball while Tucker was in the stands spectating and cheering him on."
A third user joked, "Tucker risking his entire journalistic integrity and reputation by going to Russia only for Putin to insult him during the interview and after the interview ... it's weirdly the most Tucker thing that could've happened."
