As of: February 11, 2024, 5:02 a.m
By: Nail Akkoyun
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Is Tucker Carlson threatened with sanctions after his interview with Vladimir Putin?
An EU spokesman has commented on the relevant reports.
Update from February 10th, 8:01 a.m.:
During Tucker Carlson's interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin, calls for sanctions against the US talk show host were also loud.
Two members of the EU Parliament raised the possibility of sanctions by the European Union in an interview with the US portal Newsweek.
The message caused outrage, particularly in right-wing circles on X (formerly Twitter).
Among others, X owner Elon Musk and Republican politician Vivek Ramaswamy expressed their solidarity with Carlson.
But the EU has now rejected the reports.
Peter Stano, spokesman for the EU Commission for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, recently said in Brussels: “There are currently no discussions in the relevant EU bodies about this specific person (...) the American person who is in Moscow. This is reported by the
Politico
portal, among others .
However, Stano went on to say that the EU could sanction "propagandists" who repeatedly "undermine Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and promote Putin's illegal and brutal aggression."
US talk show host in Moscow – Tucker Carlson announces publication of Putin interview
First report from February 8th:
Moscow/Washington, DC - The right-wing US talk show host Tucker Carlson has announced the publication of his interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday night (Thursday, 6 p.m. local time in Washington).
It is Putin's first in-depth conversation with a US interviewer since the start of the Ukraine war almost two years ago.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that the former Fox News presenter, who has since left Moscow, could decide on the timing of publication himself.
Carlson, 54, has been touting the interview as a major media event for days.
However , according to a
Newsweek
report, Carlson faces consequences as a result of the meeting with Putin, as he was known for spreading conspiracy theories and false reports in the past.
His decision to provide Putin with a forum is seen by many as problematic, especially given the increasing repression against journalists in Russia.
Carlson defended himself against the allegations by describing the conversation as a contribution to press freedom.
Tucker Carlson during his visit to the Russian capital Moscow.
© Maksim Blinov/Imago
Propaganda instead of freedom of the press: Carlson's interview plays into Vladimir Putin's hands
Carlson has been repeatedly accused of defending Putin's leadership and invasion of Ukraine, for which he was praised by Kremlin propagandists.
Critics accused him of offering support to Putin and other authoritarian leaders and spreading his positions in Russian state media.
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Putin probably agreed to the interview shortly before the presidential election in Russia on March 17th because he currently sees an advantage and benefit for himself in his war against Ukraine, said Russian political scientist Tatjana Stanovaya.
The Kremlin chief is betting that Western aid to Kiev with ammunition and weapons will decline, that the USA will be busy with its own presidential election in the fall and that domestic political problems will increase in Ukraine itself.
The aim of the interview was to convince the West to abandon Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in order to pressure a new leadership in Kiev to negotiate with Moscow, said the expert living abroad.
Putin uses Carlson as access to the US audience.
Former Fox News star: Tucker Carlson wants to publish Putin interview on X
The former Fox News host reaches millions of people via social networks.
He is against US financing of the war.
Tucker Carlson plans to publish the interview in its entirety for free on social media and his own website.
It remains to be seen how the international community and the media landscape will react to the publication of the interview.
Carlson was fired from Fox News last year.
He hosted a high-ratings evening show there for years.
He used this to spread conspiracy theories and false reports and to agitate against minorities.
Shortly afterwards he started his own show on X.
(nak/dpa)
Editor Nail Akkoyun wrote this article and then used an AI language model to optimize it at his own discretion. All information has been carefully checked. Find out more about our AI principles here.