On Thursday, February 8th, Tucker Carlson released a two-hour-long interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin, his first interview with a U.S. outlet since 2021 before Russia invaded Ukraine. Tucker's interview became a point of contention in the media from the second he announced that he was in Moscow. Many left-wing talking heads jumped at the opportunity to accuse Tucker of being soft on Putin, and European politicians were even calling for a travel ban — all before the interview was even released.
Glenn came to Tucker's defense, seeing the potential value of the interview and calling out the Left's blatant disregard for free press. Now that the interview has been released, it's clear that Glenn's hopes for the interview were fulfilled: Tucker did a great job. There were many memorable moments from the two-hour-long interview, but we compiled the top five for you here:
Putin suggests that Zelensky's government is illegitimate.
Putin, when asked why Russia had invaded Ukraine, gave a surprising answer. Putin claimed that the 2008 Ukrainian Presidential Election was illegitimate because it included a third round of voting, which was allegedly not permitted by the Ukrainian Constitution. It was in this third round that the first pro-western President was elected, and Putin suggested that U.S. backing was a major reason for his victory. Putin called this event a "coup" and implied that the Ukrainian government has been illegitimate ever since.
Putin speaks about Neo-Nazis in Ukraine.
When Tucker asked if Russia had achieved its aims in the War in Ukraine, Putin explained that Russia had not successfully "de-Nazified" Ukraine, which, Putin claims, is one of Russia's main objectives in the war. He elaborated that a large portion of the Ukrainian population venerates Nazis and Nazi collaborators, who fought against Russia during World War II. Putin cited the Canadian parliament's blunder in venerating a former SS officer from Ukraine. Tucker pushed back, asking Putin how he would squash an ideology in another sovereign nation. Putin's response was evasive and unsatisfactory.
Tucker calls out (and laughs at) Putin for not communicating with Biden.
Tucker asked Putin when he had last talked with President Biden, and when Putin admitted that he couldn't remember, Tucker laughed right in Putin's face. Tucker pointed out that, by Putin's admission, the U.S. is footing the Ukrainian military's bills. So why would he not be in contact with the President? Putin tried to brush off this apparent oversight by claiming that he had talked to Biden (before the war) and assured Tucker that there was communication between the U.S. and Russia.
Putin says the only way to end the war in Ukraine is through a total Russian victory.
Tucker continued to push Putin, asking him why he risks escalating the war into something potentially catastrophic and why he doesn't call up Biden and work out a deal. Putin explained that there would be no point and that the U.S. should simply pull the plug on Ukraine and the war would be over in a matter of weeks. The only way to end the war for Putin is victory. Putin also claimed that any talk about escalation is nothing but fear-mongering.
Tucker confronts Putin on the attack on the Nord Stream pipeline.
In one of his more startling moments, Tucker boldly asked Putin, "Who blew up Nord Stream?" Putin wasted no time in pointing fingers at the CIA, but when asked to provide evidence, he fell short. Putin pointed out that the list of agencies that are both interested and capable of such an attack is very short. However, Tucker asked why Putin, who assumedly would have strong evidence against the U.S. in this matter, would not show it. Putin simply claimed that there would be no point, as everyone already knows who is responsible.
