What to Glean from Tucker's Interview with Putin
Tucker Carlson's recently released interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin has been a hot button topic in the realm of international affairs.
Tucker Carlson’s recently released interview of Russian President Vladimir Putin has been met with mixed reviews from audiences on both sides of the political aisle. Putin, who is not akin to interactions with Western journalists, was interviewed by Carlson for nearly two hours in the Kremlin on February 6th, 2024. Unsurprisingly, Putin reaffirmed many Russian talking points when asked about the War in Ukraine, including the “denazification” of Ukraine, as well as accusing Ukraine of starting the conflict. Russian propaganda was rife throughout the two-hour conversion, but even amongst the pro-Russian messages, there were themes worth noting.
The first noteworthy theme is that Putin is committed to continuing the conflict. Putin made no indication during the interview that Russia had achieved its goals in Ukraine. When pressed about Russia’s current territorial gains and his level of satisfaction, Putin deflected to continue a tangent about Nazism in Ukraine. He stated that unless the US were to stop supplying weapons to the Ukrainians, he would not engage in diplomatic discussions. Putin went on to state that the US must understand that Russia will “fight for its interests to the end.”
The second noteworthy theme is that the historical mistrust between Russia and the US doomed post-Soviet relations before they even began. When Putin talks about this historical mistrust and the errors made following the collapse of the Soviet Union, it is evident that all parties involved share blame. The US misunderstood Russia’s intentions post-Cold War, just as Russia misunderstood the US’ intentions regarding the security structure of the then new world. It does not help that Putin himself was a member of the Soviet bureaucracy, most certainly carrying this mistrust of the US into his rule of Russia. The shared misunderstanding between Russia and the US has locked them into an adversarial relationship. Without addressing the mutual distrust, it is unlikely that any productive efforts can be made to reconcile Russia with the US. To make matters worse, Putin admitted that he has not spoken to President Joe Biden since the beginning of the war.
The third noteworthy theme is that Russia is fully entrenched in China’s camp and will remain there for the near-to-mid future. Throughout the interview, Putin refers to the Chinese as friends of Russia. He cites their continued economic growth as well as his working relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping. With Russia’s removal from the international financial system, the Chinese have come to their aid by increasing financial ties and bilateral trade. In the context of the US’ growing struggle to maintain control of the international system, Russia has positioned itself with the top contender, China.
Ultimately, Carlson’s interview serves as a rare insight into the mind of Putin, a man who remains committed to the war he started two years ago. With no end in sight for the War in Ukraine, the world must anxiously watch to see what the US and Russia will do next.
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