(Moscow) The Kremlin said on Wednesday it was receiving requests for interviews with Vladimir Putin from Western media, denying the comments of American conservative presenter Tucker Carlson, who boasted of being the only one who wanted to speak to the Russian president.
The former star host of Fox News, close to former Republican President Donald Trump, assured Tuesday that “not a single Western journalist had taken the trouble” to interview Vladimir Putin since the start of the offensive in Ukraine, while announcing with great fanfare that he would soon broadcast an interview with him.
“No, that’s not the case,” responded Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitri Peskov on Wednesday when asked about these statements.
On the contrary, “we receive many requests for interviews with the president”, he said, but the Western media do not try “to at least appear objective, and adopt a very biased position” , he added.
Tucker Carlson, who has been accused of popularizing conspiracy and racist theories, has a “position which contrasts with that of the traditional Anglo-Saxon media”, estimated Dmitri Peskov, confirming that the interview with the Russian president had been granted to the facilitator.
Before leaving Fox News last April, the latter hosted “Tucker Carlson Tonight” on this channel, one of the most watched shows on cable. From 2016 to 2023, the host painted a portrait of an America besieged by immigration, Black Lives Matter protests and even right-thinking.
Mr. Carlson, who now hosts a show broadcast on his website and on X (formerly Twitter), has repeatedly criticized American support for Ukraine in the war started by Russia in recent months.
Since Tuesday, many Western journalists have claimed to have tried to speak with Vladimir Putin, contrary to what Tucker Carlson claims.
“Does Tucker really think that we journalists haven’t tried to interview Putin every day since his invasion of Ukraine began? », protested Christiane Amanpour, famous international correspondent for the American channel CNN.
“This is absurd—we will continue to request an interview, as we have done for years,” she said.
Steve Rosenberg, a BBC journalist, claimed to have sent “several requests”. “For us, it’s always “no”. »
The Russian president has not given an interview to Western media since his assault on Ukraine began in February 2022.
Two American reporters, Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva, were arrested in Russia last year and remain detained.