Politico: Doubts arise over Putin's statements in Tucker Carlson interview

According to a report in Politico, there are doubts about the credibility of Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent interview with Tucker Carlson. Despite Putin's precise recall of Russian history from centuries ago, his ability to remember recent conversations, such as those with U.S. President Joe Biden, is questionable. The article analyzes Putin's statements regarding the justification for the invasion of Ukraine, the ban on peace talks, the collapse of the Soviet Union, propaganda, the arrest of a Wall Street Journal reporter, and the power dynamics between China and Russia.

Putin claimed that the U.S. was not planning a surprise strike on Russia, but contradicted himself by justifying the invasion based on a perceived threat from the U.S. Regarding peace talks, he accused the president of Ukraine of legislating a ban on negotiating with Russia, but President Zelenskyy clarified that the ban was specifically on negotiating with Putin, not Russia as a whole.

Putin's assertion that Russia voluntarily agreed to the collapse of the Soviet Union was challenged, as the USSR's dissolution was primarily due to internal struggles. He also claimed that the U.S. controls all world media, but the article highlights the state-controlled media landscape in Russia, where authorities have imprisoned journalists.

The report questions Putin's accusations against Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Gershkovich, who was accused of espionage, emphasizing the lack of evidence provided. Finally, while Putin's acknowledgment of the West's fear of a strong China aligns with geopolitical realities, his citation of Otto von Bismarck is cast into doubt, as the quoted statement could not be confirmed as authentic.

Source: Politico