“You are on drugs…”: Watch Tucker Carlson attack Biden administration after Vladimir Putin interview

Carlson claimed that Putin was very “hurt” by the West's rejection.

Sometimes, reality often tends to resemble fiction and there was an eerie similarity between Tucker Carlson’s interview of Vladimir Putin and a pivotal plot point from the Frederick Forsyth thriller Icon about a deranged Russian ideologue who wants to implement a Black Manifesto and must be stopped by the powers of the West.

In this pool photograph distributed by Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin gives an interview to US talk show host Tucker Carlson at the Kremlin in Moscow on February 6, 2024. (Photo by Gavriil GRIGOROV / POOL / AFP) (AFP)

In the book, that follows the travails of a post-Perestroika Russia reeling after the Rouble tumbles, a conservative journalist interviews a charismatic ideologue called Igor Komarov. In the book, the journalist ends up with a bullet in his chest for asking the wrong question.

Thankfully, nothing similar happened after Tucker Carlson’s interview with Vladimir Putin which lasted for over two hours and in which Putin first launched into a long history lesson about Russia, starting from the 9th century AD before answering several questions.

After the interview, Tucker Carlson said in a reaction video that he felt that the Russian Premier was filibustering but later stated he understood Putin’s long-winded history lesson.

Talking about Putin’s worldview, Carlson claimed that Putin wasn’t particularly good at explaining himself, perhaps because he never had to explain himself to folks.

"Putin not good at explaining himself"

Carlson said: “Putin doesn't do a lot of interviews, not good at explaining himself. He is smart but doesn't have to explain himself. He didn't lay out his case very coherently. He is very wounded by the rejection of the West. Moscow is a very European city… but the West rejected Russia.”

Rejecting the received wisdom about Russia being an expansionist power, Tucker Carlson said: “He didn't have a coherent theory why he is hated by the West. Russia is not an expansionist power because the ideologues that run the state department want to make him like Hitler or Imperialist Japan. Russia's the biggest land mass in the world and they have got 80 provinces. They have more than enough natural resources. The idea they want to take over Poland is (preposterous). They want secure borders and there's no evidence they want to roll into Vienna. He said he is angry, because he thought we were (the West and Russia) were going to be friends.”

Carlson also said that Putin wanted a peace deal in Ukraine and then went on to flagellate the US State Department who he labelled “lunatics”.

He said: “They want a weak leadership in Russia. Why would you want that? A weak central government in a country with the world's biggest nuclear stockpile is insane, especially a country as large and potentially fractious, with so many religions and 20% Muslim population. You are freaking nutcase if you desire that. Our track record of knocking out the leader is spotty at best and to do that to Russia, you are on drugs if you think that's a good idea.”

Watch the post-interviewed reaction below:

In the two-hour long interview, Putin hinted he’d be open to swapping imprisoned WSJ journalist Evan Gershkovich who he labelled a spy. He also defended his decision to invade Ukraine in February 2022. And he said the West now realizes that Russia will not be defeated, despite US, European and NATO help to Ukraine.

"Up until now, there has been the uproar and screaming about inflicting a strategic defeat to Russia on the battlefield. But now they are apparently coming to realize that it is difficult to achieve, if possible, at all. In my opinion, it is impossible by definition," he said.

He also aimed a message at the US Congress, where Trump-dominated Republicans are increasingly reluctant to keep backing Ukraine with weapons and other military aid.

"I will tell you what we are saying on this matter and what we are conveying to the US leadership. If you really want to stop fighting, you need to stop supplying weapons," he said.

When asked if Moscow would consider invading other countries in the region -- NATO members Poland and Latvia -- or generally across the European continent, Put said that was "out of the question."

"We have no interest in Poland, Latvia or anywhere else. Why would we do that? We simply don't have any interest. It's just threat mongering," Putin said.

A war with Poland, he said, would happen "only in one case: if Poland attacks Russia."

With inputs from agencies