For Vladimir Putin, a defeat for Russia in the war it unleashed by invading Ukraine is "impossible" and "will never happen."
This is how the Russian president defined it, in an interview with the American news anchor and ultra-conservative Tucker Carlson that was published this Thursday and recorded on Tuesday in Moscow.
"There has been uproar (...) about inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia on the battlefield," Putin introduced and noted: "In my opinion, it is impossible by definition. It will never happen."
The tension between his regime and the United States was part of the note that lasted two hours - the first that Putin provided for a Western media - and was disseminated on Carlson's social networks.
And although he did not make direct references to candidate Donald Trump, he did advance the US electoral process by rejecting that the relationship between both powers depends on a change in the presidency in Washington.
Putin considered that the link - or its absence, strictly speaking - has more to do with what he defined as "the idea of domination" that the US has over the world.
"It's not about who the leader is or the personality of a specific person, but about the elites themselves: it's the idea of domination at all costs based on the dominant forces in American society," he advanced.
It was the closest point to a reference about Trump, beyond accepting that he had a good "personal relationship" with the former Republican president.
Carlson did not insist on that point and thus what could be seen as another Russian interference in US domestic politics was avoided, following suspicions and investigations into his role in the triumph that brought the tycoon to the White House.
Putin acknowledged having and having had "a good relationship" with George Bush Jr, "and also (I have had) that personal relationship with (Donald) Trump," although he insisted on downplaying the weight and importance of the names.
The ironclad Russian ruler allowed himself to give his vision of the United States: "It is a complex country. Conservative on the one hand, rapidly changing on the other... it is not easy to understand."
And even he allowed himself to show a certain perplexity - not innocent - at the complexity of his electoral system:
"Who makes the decisions in the elections? Can it be understood that each State has its laws, that it regulates itself?" asked the man who is seen by much of the West as an autocrat who persecutes any opposition attempt. to his regime.
Ep.
73 The Vladimir Putin Interview pic.twitter.com/67YuZRkfLL
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) February 8, 2024
It was expected that in this interview Carlson would ask with greater emphasis about Trump, a politician who is very close to him, but the Russian president avoided it and did not, as was feared, give messages that could be seen as interference in the next elections. November Americans.
With information from EFE.
News in development.
D.S.