The Russian leader says a deal to free Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is possible after “reciprocal measures.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that defeating Russia in Ukraine is “impossible,” while insisting that he is not seeking to expand the war to neighboring countries such as Poland and Latvia.
In a high-profile interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Putin denied he had territorial ambitions across Europe and said he would only send troops to neighboring countries if he was attacked first.
“It is absolutely impossible. It is simply not necessary to be any kind of analyst, it is against common sense to get involved in some kind of global war, and a global war will bring all of humanity to the brink of devastation,” Putin said in the interview. posted online Thursday. “It's obvious.”
During a two-hour interview in which Putin spoke at length about the history of Eastern Europe and Russia, the Russian leader said his government was in contact with the United States and that a peaceful resolution to the war would only be possible if Washington stopped supplying weapons to Ukraine.
“I will tell you what we are saying on this matter and what we are conveying to the American leadership,” Putin said. “If they really want to stop fighting, they must stop supplying weapons. It'll be over in a few weeks, that's all, and then we can agree on some terms. Before you do that, stop.”
Asked by Carlson if he would be willing to release jailed Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich as a “sign of his decency,” the Russian leader said a deal is possible and there is “no taboo” on resolving the dispute. affair.
“We have made so many goodwill gestures out of decency that I think we have run out. No, we have never seen anyone reciprocate us in a similar way. However, in theory, we can say that we do not rule out that we can do it if our partners take reciprocal measures,” Putin said.
Gershkovich has been detained in Russia since March 2023 on espionage charges that Washington has described as “baseless.”
The Kremlin said Putin agreed to sit down with Carlson because he presented a less one-sided view of the war in Ukraine.
Carlson has repeatedly questioned the rationale for U.S. support for Kiev and, in a video posted on social media this week, criticized the U.S. media for its “sycophantic” coverage of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Before the interview, Carlson drew criticism for traveling to Moscow to interview the Russian leader, with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calling the former TV host a “useful idiot.”
