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Thursday night saw renowned host Tucker Carlson unveiling an exclusive interview with Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, that had been eagerly awaited by millions. The hour-long interview, hosted on Elon Musk’s X platform, had a dramatic impact, exceeding 100 million views in less than 14 hours after being uploaded. It garnered attention from worldwide spectators moments after it was shared at 6:25 PM EST, counting its views in millions within mere minutes.
By almost 15 hours after its release, the video boasted a staggering 121.5 million views, alongside ever-increasing engagement metrics – 55,000 comments, 246,000 reposts, 776,000 likes, and 229,000 bookmarks. This milestone represents a career victory for Carlson, who has positioned himself as a formidable figure in the media landscape after parting ways from Fox News and establishing The Tucker Carlson Network.
An article from the DC Enquirer described how Carlson conveyed an insightful post-interview reflection on the Russian head of state to his audience. In this, he stated that it may take him nearly a year to fully deconstruct and understand the depth and implications of President Putin’s thoughts and objectives communicated during their conversation.
The host noted that Putin appeared to have struggled to articulate his perspective eloquently. Some key themes that emerged from Putin’s discourse, Carlson relayed, revolved around his disappointment with the rejection from the western world, particularly the United States, and the perceived hostility from the West.
“The end of the Cold War, for many in Russia, signified the possibility of a warm welcome into the European fold. Despite being geographically half in Asia, Russia shares significant cultural aspects with Europe. However, Europe, perhaps for its reasons, decided against this integration,” Carlson extensively discussed, underlining Russia’s cold relationship with western nations.
Yet, according to Carlson, Putin did not present a cogent argument about his grievances with the West’s rejection. He also dismissed the idea of Russia being an expansionist power considering its already vast size and the limited population of 150 million. In the commentator’s words, “The argument that they would want to annex additional countries like Poland is far-fetched. Their priority is just secure borderlines. Any notion beyond that of Russian forces marching into Vienna is unrealistic and naive.”
Addressing Putin’s portrayal by some quarters of Washington as a new-age Hitler planning to expand into Europe, Carlson refutes it vehemently. The idea, he said, directly contradicts the clear evidence that Russia is seeking sustainable borders, not territorial acquisitions.
One surprising revelation, Carlson noted, was Putin’s openness about his desire for a peace agreement in Ukraine. “Whether he was being truthful or not is unclear, but he certainly didn’t shy away from reiterating his desire for peace. This raises questions about why he would emphasize such a point if he didn’t intend to pursue it,” commented Carlson.
The popular commentator also suggested the possibility of former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson deliberately disrupting peace deal talks, acting in the interests of the US. He further navigated through the complicated issue of Crimea, which, in his view, should not be a part of negotiations to end the conflict given its historical, cultural, and strategic significance to Russia.
With wine originating from the region, a populace that identifies predominantly as Russian, and the significant location of the Russian fleet in Crimea, Carlson argued that incorporating the return of Crimea to Ukraine in the terms of peace negotiations would be futile. “Putin is so entrenched in Crimea that the prospect of nuclear war wouldn’t deter him from retaining it. Those expecting a peace deal contingent on Crimea’s return to Ukraine are delusional,” Carlson continued.
Drawing attention to the rash tendency of US policymakers who advocate for the weakening of the Russian central government, Carlson warned against such drastic moves considering Russia’s diverse ethnic composition and possession of the world’s largest nuclear arsenal. He questioned the safety and rationality of such strategies, drawing parallels with failed foreign interventions like Libya and Iraq.
“The ill-conceived notion to remove Putin from power mirrors previous disastrous moves, like Gaddafi’s overthrow and the destabilization of Iraq. Both nations have yet to recover,” pointed out Carlson. “Similarly, our efforts in Afghanistan proved futile with the Taliban’s resurgence. Therefore, considering the unsuccessful track record of such tactics, any design to destabilize Russia, the largest country by land mass and a nuclear behemoth, spells more disaster than progress.”
For those interested in viewing the interview, it remains available on the Elon Musk’s X platform under the title: Ep. 73 The Putin Interview. Tune in to delve into a nuanced conversation that covers a breadth of geopolitical topics, from historic Russia-West relations to the current day plight of Ukraine and Crimea.
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