What did Putin and Carlson talk about?
American TV presenter Tucker Carlson announced a two-hour interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin on his website. "Ukraine deification ", "coup d'état" in Ukraine in 2014, peace talks, the situation related to the elections in the USA , relations between Russia and China were the main topics of conversation.
" Ukrainian deification ", "coup d'état" in Ukraine in 2014, peace talks, the situation in the US elections and the economy, as well as relations between Russia and China were the main topics of conversation .
Putin started the conversation with a half-hour speech . In this speech, he put forward the theory that "Ukraine has never existed as an independent state" and that its territories are "the history of the Russians".
He expressed confidence that both countries would be able to reach an agreement "sooner or later". Putin said that Ukraine refused to negotiate with Russia "on the instructions of Washington", adding that the decision was wrong and must be corrected now.
An important part of the conversation was devoted to relations between the former USSR, and then Russia and the NATO bloc. According to Putin, Soviet leaders hoped for an era of partnership and cooperation after the fall of the Berlin Wall, which symbolized the ideological divide between the countries.
The president also recalled that after the collapse of the USSR, the United States pursued a "wrong, crude, unjustified policy of pressure." In particular, he began to expand NATO, " supported the separatists in the Caucasus and created anti-missile defense systems. But then there was no reason for competition, because Russia had a market economy and a democratic government. "
The Russian leader believes that talk of Russia's plans to use tactical nuclear weapons are "horror stories" used to "extort money" from Western taxpayers.
In addition, according to Putin, the West fears a strong China more than Russia. The president said this is due to its large population and economic growth of 5% per year, which exceeds the rate of the United States.
Speaking about Russian-Chinese cooperation, the president noted that due to the growth of the Chinese economy, the value of the yuan in Russia's foreign trade accounts exceeded the dollar. The share of the American currency decreased by 13 percent , while the share of the Chinese currency increased to 34 percent .
Putin also mentioned sabotage of Nord Stream, linking them to the Central Intelligence Agency, but later declined to go into details and suggested looking for interested parties.
" International law needs correction now , because the balance of power in the world has changed, " said the Russian president. ‑ What did the USA do [in Yugoslavia in 1999]? The bombing of Belgrade started in violation of international law and the UN Charter. The United States has let this " genie " out of the pot .
In response to the question about the fate of the journalist Gershkovic , Putin recalled that he was accused of espionage and collecting classified information. According to the RF leader , this is a "proven fact". However, Russia is considering the possibility of exchanging Gershkovic .
Tucker Carlson is a former conservative host of Fox News, a supporter of former US President Donald Trump and opposes aid to Ukraine .
