Tucker Carlson Releases Putin Interview: Here’s What He Said

ormer Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Thursday released his controversial interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who took the opportunity—his first interview with a western journalist since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly two years ago—to defend Russia’s war, arguing Moscow has a historic claim to the eastern European country, as Carlson faces heavy pushback for giving Putin the platform.

In a two-hour interview released Thursday night, Putin defended Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, arguing Russia has a historic claim to areas of western Ukraine dating back to the 13th century, a claim Putin has made repeatedly in the two years since Russia launched its invasion.

In the interview, which was recorded at the Kremlin on Tuesday, Putin claimed parts of Ukraine along the Black Sea “have no historical connection to Ukraine whatsoever,” according to a translation posted on Carlson’s website.

Carlson attempted to push back against Putin’s nearly 40-minute monologue on Russian history—including Russia’s position in World War II and the creation of the Soviet Union—asking what the history has to do with “what happened two years ago.”