On Thursday, warmongering Russian President Vladimir Putin sat down with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson to be quizzed in a highly anticipated two hour TV interview.
Carlson, a right-wing conspiracy theorist and former Fox News personality who was fired for getting "too big for his boots" according to commentators, has previously been accused of being overly sympathetic to Putin. And last night, over the course of an indulgent two hour interview, the despot and wanted war criminal was allowed to share his wild claims on a wide range of topics from the possibility of the Ukraine war sparking armageddon, to his opinion of tech mogul Elon Musk.
In his first interview with western media since Putin invaded Ukraine two years ago he held forth for half an hour on European history, in an attempt to justify his claims that Ukraine was a "fake country" before revealing he had once asked Bill Clinton if Russia could join NATO.
READ MORE: Vladimir Putin forced to hold down shaking leg in Tucker Carlson chat amid health rumours
World War 3 if troops deploy in Ukraine
Putin used the interview to issue a stark warning to the west. He threatened a global war that will “bring humanity to the brink” if the United States deploys troops to Ukraine.
Putin accused of surrounding himself with same 'actors' at series of events
He hinted that Moscow and Washington were in touch, possibly involved in back-channel peace talks, but warned of a “global conflict” if the US were to put boots on the ground in Ukraine.
The Russian warned: “If somebody has the desire to send regular troops, that would certainly bring humanity to the brink of a very serious global conflict.”
Tucker Carlson sat down for a rambling two-hour interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow (GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN POOL/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)Ukraine is a ‘fake country’
The Russian leader used the interview with Tucker Carlson to embark on a rambling and one-sided lecture on European history, as seen by the Kremlin.
In it he used the opportunity to insist that Ukraine was an “artificial state”, saying: "After World War 2, Ukraine received, in addition to the lands that had belonged to Poland before the war, part of the lands that had previously belonged to Hungary and Romania," he said. "So in this sense, we have every reason to affirm that Ukraine is an artificial state that was shaped at Stalin's will."
It is ‘impossible’ for NATO to win in Ukraine
Putin said defeating Russia in Ukraine is “impossible” and Nato had to accept Moscow’s territorial gains there.
“There has been the uproar and screaming about inflicting a strategic defeat to Russia on the battlefield,” Mr Putin said.
“In my opinion, it is impossible by definition. It is never going to happen.”
Boris Johnson sabotaged peace talks
Putin claimed that Boris Johnson had sabotaged a 2022 peace deal with Ukraine.
According to Putin, negotiations were taking place in Istanbul, Turkey. Ukraine reportedly even signed the deal but backed out after Johnson said it was "better to fight Russia."
Putin was allowed to ramble at length about his theories of historical geopolitics in the interview (GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN POOL/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)He said Ukrainian politician Davyd Arakhamia, who heads up Ukraine's ruling party, put his "preliminary signature" on the deal. "But then he [Arakhamia] publicly stated to the whole world, we were ready to sign this document but Mr Johnson, then the Prime Minister, came and dissuaded us from doing this, saying it was better to fight Russia," Putin alleged.
Catholics across the world pray for Pope Benedict XVI as his body lies in state
The former prime minister previously vehemently denied the claims as “total nonsense” and “Russian propaganda”. Mr Johnson said he merely “expressed concerns” about the nature of the potential agreement during a conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Putin asked Clinton if Russia could join NATO, but Clinton said no
Putin claimed that at one point former US President Bill Clinton told him Russia might be able to join NATO.
“At a meeting here in the Kremlin with the outgoing President Bill Clinton, right here in the next room, I said to him, I asked him: ‘Bill, do you think if Russia asked to join NATO, do you think it would happen?’ Suddenly he said, ‘You know, it’s interesting. I think so,’” said Putin, who was speaking through an interpreter.
“But in the evening, when we met for dinner, he said: ‘You know, I’ve talked to my team, no, no, it’s not possible now.’ You can ask him. I think he will watch our interview, he’ll confirm it,” the Russian president said.
After a few seconds, Putin asks to move on as the question is irrelevant; he took America's no very seriously. That's when Carlson chimes in and notes that he sensed Putin's bitterness on the topic.
Putin answered: "No, it's not bitterness. It's just the statement of fact. We're not bride and groom, bitterness, resentment, it's not about those kind of matters in such circumstances. We just realised we weren't welcome there, that's all. Okay, fine. But let's build relations in another manner. Let's look for common ground elsewhere."
Russia might release jailed reporter Evan Gershkovich
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was arrested on March 29, 2023 in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg on spying charges. He remains in Russian jail where he is currently awaiting trial on the charges which he and his newspaper strongly reject. The US government has also said he is being wrongfully detained.
“We are willing to solve it but there are certain terms being discussed via special services channels. I believe an agreement can be reached,” said Putin, stressing that Western powers will have to take what he called “reciprocal steps”.
“There have been many successful examples of these talks crowned with success. Probably this is going to be crowned with success as well but we have to come to an agreement,” said Putin.
The Russian president suggested that, in return, Moscow wanted Germany to free Vadim Krasikov, who was convicted of the 2019 murder of a Chechen dissident in Berlin.
Putin used the interview to blame Boris Johnson for sabotaging a peace deal in 2022 (GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN POOL/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)Putin blames the US for Nord Stream blasts
The multi-billion dollar Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines were blown up by unknown actors in 2022, destroying the then-new energy link between Russia and Europe shortly after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Russia blames the west for the act of sabotage while Ukrainian leaders have blamed Russia. On Wednesday (February 7) Swedish investigators announced they were ending their 16-month inquiry into the cause of the blasts on the sea bed near Sweden.
“Who blew up Nord Stream?” Carlson asked Putin during the interview. “You, for sure,” Putin answered.
“Do you have evidence that NATO or the CIA did it,” Carlson said. The Russian president responded he “won’t get into details” but you should “look for someone who is interested” and who “has capabilities”.
Putin says there is ‘no stopping Elon Musk’
Elon Musk has been accused of siding with Russia in its war in Ukraine and even claims to have spoken with Putin via videoconference, but months later a Putin spokesman slammed Musk as a "war criminal" on state TV after SpaceX donated 20,000 Starlink satellites to the Ukrainian military.
Putin revealed his own thoughts on the tycoon, saying: “I think there is no stopping Elon Musk.” He added: "He will do as he sees fit. Nevertheless, you need to find some common ground with him, search for ways to persuade him.
"I think he's a smart person. I truly believe he is. So you'll need to reach an agreement with him because this process [technological development] needs to be formalised, and subjected to certain rules."
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