In a highly anticipated global event, Tucker Carlson’s exclusive interview with Vladimir Putin has captivated audiences, quickly becoming a sensation on the X platform with over 11 million views within the first hour of its release.
During the unprecedented two-hour conversation, the 71-year-old Russian president addressed various pressing issues, notably attributing the Ukraine conflict to what he described as a coup in Ukraine.
Carlson, widely regarded as one of today’s most influential independent journalists, explored topics ranging from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war to NATO expansion, the future of Ukraine, and the fate of Evan Gershkovich, a jailed American journalist an American journalist who worked for The Wall Street Journal before his arrest in March of last year.
Global netizens commended Carlson for his efforts to secure the release of Gershkovich, who Putin accused of espionage.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald praised Carlson’s advocacy for Gershkovich, contrasting it with the reluctance of mainstream journalists to similarly challenge political leaders.
“Tucker Carlson spent roughly 10 to 15 minutes imploring Vladimir Putin to release the WSJ’s Evan Gershkovich, vehemently arguing why it’s unjust to keep him — in a way that no corporate journalist would ever dare do with Biden about Assange,” Greenwald posted on X.
Furthermore, many in the global community see Carlson’s interview as potentially pivotal in preventing further escalation of tensions, particularly amid fears of a looming conflict.
During the interview, Carlson urged Putin to release Gershkovich, who the Russian president accused of espionage.
“I appreciate all the time, you’ve given us. I just gotta ask you one last question, and that’s about someone who’s very famous in the United States, probably not here, Evan Gershkovitz, who’s the Wall Street Journal reporter. He’s 32, and he’s been in prison for almost a year,” Carlson said.
Putin, while acknowledging ongoing discussions through diplomatic channels, emphasized the legal ramifications of espionage and the necessity for reciprocal actions from the US.
Despite Carlson’s impassioned plea for Gershkovich’s release, Putin maintained that the resolution of such matters should be conducted discreetly through diplomatic channels to ensure a peaceful and mutually beneficial outcome.
The exchange shed light on broader geopolitical tensions while also illustrating the role of journalism in holding leaders to account and advocating for press freedom and human rights.
In the aftermath of the interview, Carlson’s efforts to secure Gershkovich’s release have drawn attention to the complexities of international relations and the challenges facing journalists operating in politically sensitive environments.
Here is a transcript of a portion of Carlson’s conversation with Putin:
Tucker Carlson: “I appreciate all the time you’ve given us. I just gotta ask you one last question, and that’s about someone who’s very famous in the United States, probably not here, Evan Gershkovich, who’s the Wall Street Journal reporter. He’s 32, and he’s been in prison for almost a year. This is a huge story in the United States, and I just want to ask you directly without getting into the tails of it or your version of what happened. If as a sign of your decency, you’ll be willing to release him to us, and we’ll bring him back to the United States.”
Vladimir Putin: “We have done so many gestures of goodwill out of decency that I think we have run out of them. We have never seen anyone reciprocate to us in a similar manner. However, in theory, we can say that we do not rule out that we can do that. If our partners take reciprocal steps. When I talk about the partners, I, first of all, refer to special services. Special services are in contact with one another. They are talking about the matter in question. There is no taboo to settle this issue. We are willing to solve it. But there are certain terms being discussed via special services channels. I believe an agreement can be reached.”
Carlson: “So, typically, I mean, this stuff has happened for, obviously, centuries. One country catches another spy within its borders. It trades it for one of its own intel guys in another country. I think what makes and it’s not my business. But but what makes this difference is the guy’s obviously not a spy. He’s a kid. And maybe he was breaking your law in some way, but he’s not a super spy and everybody knows that and he’s being held hostage in exchange, which is true. With respect, it’s true and everyone knows it’s true. So maybe he’s in a different category. Maybe it’s not fair to ask for, you know, somebody else in exchange for letting him out. Maybe it degrades Russia to do that.”
Putin: “You know, you can give different interpretations to what constitutes a spy. But there are certain things provided by law. If person gets secret information and does that in conspiratorial manner, Then this is a qualified as espionage, and that is exactly what he was doing. He was receiving classified confidential information, And he did it covertly. Maybe he did that out of carelessness or his own initiative. Considering the sheer fact that this is qualified as espionage, the fact has been proven as he was caught red-handed when he was receiving this information. If it had been some far fetched excuse, some fabrication, something not proven, it would have been a different story then. But he was caught red-handed when he was secretly getting confidential information. What is it then?”
Carlson: “But are you suggesting he was working for the US government or NATO, or he was just a reporter who was given material he wasn’t supposed to have? Those seem like very different very different things.”
Putin: “I don’t know who he was working for, but I would like to reiterate that getting classified information in secret is called espionage. And he was working for the US Special Services, some other agencies. I don’t think he was working for Monaco as Monaco is hardly interested in getting that information. It is up to special services To come to an agreement. Some groundwork has been laid. There are people who, in our view, are not connected with special services. Let me tell you a story about a person serving a sentence in an allied country of the US. That person, due to patriotic sentiments, eliminated the bandit in one of the European capitals. During the events in the Caucasus. Do you know what he was doing? I don’t want to say that I will do it anyway. He was laying our soldiers taken prisoner on the road and then drove scar over their heads. What kind of person is that? Can he even be called human? But there was a patriot who eliminated him in one of the European capitals. Whether he did it of his own volition or not, that is a different question.”
Carlson: “I mean, that’s completely different. I mean, I mean, it’s a 32-year-old, like, most people.”
Putin: “He committed something different. He’s not just a journalist. I reiterate, he’s a journalist who was secretly getting confidential information. Yes. It is different, but still, I’m talking about other people who are essentially controlled by the US authorities wherever they are serving a sentence.”
Carlson: “There is an ongoing dialogue between the special services. This has to be resolved in a calm, responsible, and professional manner. They’re keeping in touch, so let them do their work.”
Putin: “I do not rule out that the person you referred to, Mr. Gershkovich, may return to his motherland. By the end of the day, it does not make any sense to keep him in prison in Russia. We want the US special services to think about how they can contribute to achieving the goals our special services are pursuing. We are ready to talk. Moreover, the talks are on their way, and 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.”
Carlson: “I hope you let him out. Mr. President, thank you.”
Putin: “I also want him to return to his homeland at last. I’m absolutely sincere. But let me say once again, The dialogue continues. The more public we render things of this nature, the more difficult it becomes to resolve them. Everything has to be done in a calm manner.”
The Daily Netizen 