Tucker Carlson leaves Russia to change the world

It is important for Russia that as many people in the world as possible become familiar with the worldview and point of view of President Vladimir Putin, Kremlin's official spokesman Dmitry Peskov said when asked about Putin's interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson.

Photo: Flickr.com by Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0

He also said that Putin's conversation with Carlson would be published on the Kremlin website on the morning of February 9.

Tucker Carlson earlier said that his interview with the Russian President would be published on his website, as well as on his X platform on February 9 at 02.00 Moscow time. According to Carlson, the interview will be published as filmed, unedited.

Tucker Carlson leaves Russia, flies to Belgrade

Tucker Carlson was seen at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport in the morning of February 8. He was spotted at the VIP lounge of the airport.

Later, Mash Telegram channel published a photo of Carlson in the cabin of an airliner. The journalist left Russia on a Moscow-Belgrade flight.

It was also said that Carlson left the hotel without his belongings. Dozens of journalists were waiting for him outside the hotel, but he managed to escape.

Tucker Carlson's visit to Moscow attracts global attention

His visit to Moscow attracted a lot of attention both inside and outside Russia. When in Moscow, Carlson went to a Vkusno i Tochka restaurant (formerly McDonald's) where he ordered burgers and thanked a cashier in Russian by saying "spasibo" (thank you).

Reference: McDonald's left the Russian market in 2022 having sold its business to company's licensee Alexander Govor. He currently operates restaurants under the new brand Vkusno i Tochka (Tasty and That's It). Currently, there are more than 860 restaurants of the chain operating in 64 regions of the country.

US officials admit they are worried about what Putin may say

Having learned about the impending interview, John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the US National Security Council, said that there was no need for Carlson to interview Putin. Kirby's comment came in response to a question of whether the White House was worried about the imminent publication of the interview.

Former US House of Representatives member Adam Kinzinger called Carlson a traitor because of his trip to Russia. The journalist denied such accusations.

"Why do I feel guilty like I'm betraying my country for saying it? I'm not — I love America. This is a really nice city, I don't care, it's true," Tucker Carlson told the Russian media.

Member of the US House of Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene admitted that Carlson's interview instilled fear in the American authorities. At the same time, the Americans can hear the truth only from journalists such as Tucker Carlson, she admitted.

According to The New York Times, Carlson's interview comes at a critical moment for Ukraine, when the new package of US aid to Kyiv has stalled in US Congress. With Carlson's help, Putin may try to reach out to those Americans who sympathise with Russia, journalists believe.

"The interview could inflame political divisions over Ukraine inside the United States, especially if Mr. Putin signals that he is open to a negotiated end to the war,” The New York Times said.

Senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, former US Ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer, told CNN that the interview could cause the American society to split.

The Washington Post's Jeremy Barr recalled that the former Fox News presenter was known for his sympathy for Russia and its leader, and blamed the United States for the crisis in Ukraine.

In March 2022, Carlson said that Putin's invasion of Ukraine was "effectively encouraged by the Biden administration,” Barr said.

Barr also quoted Carlson's monologue, which was aired on Fox News shortly before the start of the special operation. Carlson then tried to convince the Americans that they had no reason to hate Putin.

"Has Putin ever called me a racist? Has he threatened to get me fired for disagreeing with him? Has he shipped every middle-class job in my town to Russia? Did he manufacture a worldwide pandemic that wrecked my business and kept me indoors for two years? … These are fair questions, and the answer to all of them is no," Barr quoted Carlson as saying.

According to Newsweek, Carlson may side with Russia and Putin in the interview. European countries may impose sanctions against the US journalist for his stance on Russia and Ukraine, the publication said.

It was later reported, though, that the European Union was not discussing sanctions against Carlson.

Blogger Alex Jones, who personally spoke with Carlson before the interview was released, promised that the journalist's conversation with the Russian President would go down in history as one of the most epic interviews ever.

French newspaper Le Figaro found the blogger's words "a great publicity stunt that is aimed at the American public." In their opinion, such a statement directly serves interests of Donald Trump's supporters, to whom Carlson is close.