Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson announced that he traveled to Moscow, Russia, to interview Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Here’s why we’re doing it. First, because it’s our job. We’re in journalism. Our duty is to inform people,” Carlson said. “Two years into a war that’s reshaping the entire world, most Americans are not informed. They have no real idea what’s happening in this region, here in Russia or 600 miles away in Ukraine. But they should know. They’re paying for much of it in ways they might not fully yet perceive.”
Describing the ongoing Ukraine-Russian conflict, Carlson noted that English-speaking countries think that “nothing has really changed. And they think that because no one has told them the truth.”
“Their media outlets are corrupt. They lie to their readers and viewers.”
Explaining that media outlets have conducted countless interviews with Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky, Carlson stated that “not a single Western journalist has bothered to interview the president of the other country involved in this conflict, Vladimir Putin.”
“Most Americans have no idea why Putin invaded Ukraine, or what his goals are now,” he added. “They’ve never heard his voice. That’s wrong. Americans have a right to know all they can about a war they’re implicated in, and we have the right to tell them about it because we are Americans, too.”
“We are not here because we love Vladimir Putin. We are here because we love the United States. And we want it to remain prosperous and free.”
Why I'm interviewing Vladimir Putin. pic.twitter.com/hqvXUZqvHX
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) February 6, 2024
Following the announcement, leaders of the European Union (E.U.) called for Carlson to be banned from entering E.U nations, claiming he may be a “propagandist” for Russia.
Former Belgian Prime Minister and current member of the European Parliament Guy Verhofstadt shared on X, “Tucker Carlson is surely on the path to being labelled a propagandist for the Russian regime.”
If he enables disinformation for Putin, the EU should explore a travel ban!
Tucker Carlson is surely on the path to being labelled a propagandist for the Russian regime.
— Guy Verhofstadt (@guyverhofstadt) February 5, 2024
If he enables disinformation for Putin, the EU should explore a travel ban ! pic.twitter.com/RKwEtvg0pR
Luis Garicano, a former Member of the European Parliament (MEP), told Newsweek, “[Carlson] is no longer a newsman, but a propagandist for the most heinous regime on European soil and the one which is most dangerous to our peace and security.”
MEP Urmas Paet similarly told the outlet, “First of all, it should be remembered that Putin is not just a president of an aggressor country, but he is wanted by the International Criminal Court and accused of genocide and war crimes.”
