Russia is keeping its cards close to its chest over the swirling speculation that former Fox News host Tucker Carlson could interview Russian President Vladimir Putin while on his trip to Moscow.
The possibility was raised over the weekend when Carlson was spotted at multiple spots in Russia’s capital city, including at the Bolshoi Theatre and dining at a hotel, according to a Reuters report.
Pressed on the prospect, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stopped short of denying a possible interview and instead pointed to the “many” foreign journalists who visit Russia.
“Many foreign journalists come to Russia every day, many continue to work here, and we welcome this,” Peskov said, according to the news wire. “We have nothing to announce in terms of the president’s interviews to foreign media.”
In a separate interview released by the Izvestia newspaper, Carlson described Moscow as “beautiful,” per Reuters.
“I just wanted to see it because, you know, I have read so much about it but I have never seen it before,” he said.
Asked if he was in Russia to interview Putin, Carlson responded, “We’ll see,” and reportedly smiled. Carlson would become the first Western journalist to interview Putin during the nation’s war with Ukraine, Reuters noted.
Carlson launched a new subscription site in December for fans who want to pay for additional content. It came months after he was ousted from Fox News because of his criticism of company management. He now hosts a periodical news and political commentary show for free on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
He has interviewed several high-profile U.S. politicians since launching the show, including former President Trump, Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R).
Carlson, a skeptic of U.S. support for Ukraine, has described Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a “dictator” and “sweaty-like rat,” and in 2022 he said he was “rooting for Moscow,” The Guardian reported.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
