On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview released with controversial right-wing US talk show host Tucker Carlson that the West should understand it is “impossible” to defeat Russia in Ukraine.
WSJ reporter’s fate can be discussed
In a two-hour interview with the former Fox News host — coming just ahead of the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — Putin also said a deal “can be reached” on imprisoned Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.
“There are certain terms being discussed via special services channels,” he said while insisting that the reporter is a spy — something the Journal and US government vehemently deny.
It was the first one-on-one interview of Putin by someone from the Western media since 2019.
However, Carlson, who is close to White House candidate and former president Donald Trump, asked few tough questions and largely listened while the Kremlin leader lectured him on his views of Russian history, portraying the country as a victim of Western betrayals.
Russia will not be defeated
Putin defended his decision to invade Ukraine in February 2022. He said the West now realizes that Russia will not be defeated, despite US, European, and NATO help to Ukraine.
“Up until now, there has been the uproar and screaming about inflicting a strategic defeat to Russia on the battle-field. But now they are apparently coming to realize that it is difficult to achieve, if possible, at all. In my opinion, it is impossible by definition,” he said.
If you want to stop fighting, stop supplying weapons
He also aimed a message at the US Congress, where Trump-dominated Republicans are increasingly reluctant to keep backing Ukraine with weapons and other military aid.
“I will tell you what we are saying on this matter and what we are conveying to the US leadership. If you really want to stop fighting, you need to stop supplying weapons,” he said.
We don’t have an interest in invading other countries, but…
When asked if Moscow would consider invading other countries in the region — NATO members Poland and Lat-via — or generally across the European continent, Putin said that was “out of the question.”
“We have no interest in Poland, Latvia or anywhere else. Why would we do that? We simply don’t have any inter-est. It’s just threat mongering,” Putin said.
A war with Poland, he said, would happen “only in one case: if Poland attacks Russia.”
It is not about US leadership
Asked about a possible change in leadership after the US election, where Biden is expected to face off against Trump in a rematch of their 2020 contest, Putin indicated he would see little change.
“You just asked me if another leader comes and changes something? It is not about the leader. It is not about the personality of a particular person.”
Facing Putin in matching white chairs with a small table between them, Carlson rarely pushed back in his interview in an ornate room at the Kremlin — recorded Tuesday and posted on Carlson’s own website — and did not challenge Putin over his relationship with Trump.
While president and since being defeated by US President Biden, Trump has repeatedly praised Putin and failed to condemn the invasion of Ukraine — saying that if he were reelected he would be able to solve the war in “24 hours,” though not saying how.
Biden, by contrast, has named Putin a “war criminal” and has made backing for Ukraine’s elected, pro-Western government one of the key priorities of his presidency.
