Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson to interview Russian President Vladimir Putin

Former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson on Tuesday (Feb 6) confirmed he will be interviewing Russian President Vladimir Putin. The influential yet divisive journalist, known for his conservative credentials said the interview was finalised after months of planning.

If Putin does indeed give the interview, it would be the first time he has talked to a Western journalist one-on-onesince launching the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

"There are risks to doing an interview like this, obviously, so we've thought about it over many months," said Carlson in a video message posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).

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Explaining the rationale behind interviewing the Russian leader, Carlson said Americans had the right to know about the war being waged by the Kremlin in Ukraine.

“Most Americans have no idea why Putin invaded Ukraine or what his goals are now. 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," he added.

White House responds

The embattled primetime anchor also made claims aboutinterference from the Biden administration ahead of the anticipated interview.

“Almost three years ago, the Biden administration illegally spied on our text messages and then leaked their contents to their servants in the news media,” he said.

“They did this in order to stop a Putin interview that we were planning. Last month, we’re pretty certain they did exactly the same thing once again. But this time, we came to Moscow anyway.”

Quizzed about Carlson's accusations,White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said she would“absolutely not” comment on the interview or his claims.

“I actually want to go back to your question.It’s a ridiculous premise and a ridiculous statement that was made about this administration.So I just want to be very very clear — it’s just ridiculous," Jean-Pierre later said.

Carlson, a known voice of white America's outrage, has repeatedly criticised the US government for backingUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the war. He has also called out the mainstream media for giving ample coverage to Zelensky but refusing to give any air time to Putin.

"That is not journalism - it is government propaganda," said Carlson.

Watch |Tucker Carlson's exit costs FOX $690 million

Carlson and Fox News

Fox News and Carlson parted ways in April last yearafter parent company Fox Corp settled for $787.5 million in a lawsuit that claimed the news network defamed Dominion Voting Systems by airing false election-rigging claims. Carlson had played a starring role in the lawsuit.

However, in an official statement, Fox News did not disclose the reason, saying that both Carlson and the network had “mutually” agreed to separate.

(With inputs from agencies)