MOSCOW, February 7. /TASS/. The stance of well-known independent US journalist Tucker Carlson differs from the typically biased approach taken by legacy Western media outlets, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"Mr. Carlson was incorrect [to claim that no other Western reporters have tried to interview Russian President Vladimir Putin], but he could not have known anything about that. We [in fact] receive many requests to interview the president," the spokesman said.
According to Peskov, all such requests were turned down because those media outlets from the collective West seeking to interview Putin were biased. According to Peskov, these included major legacy TV networks and leading newspapers, which "cannot boast of any attempt to even seem like they are providing impartial coverage <…> as all of these media outlets take an exclusively one-sided position."
"Of course, there is no desire to have dealings with such media; moreover, there is no point in it, as such interaction would hardly bring any benefit," the spokesman said.
Explaining why the Kremlin agreed to grant an interview to Carlson, Peskov said: "He takes a position that is different from the others. It is not in any way pro-Russian, it is not pro-Ukrainian, [in fact] it is rather pro-American. But, at least, it stands in sharp contrast to the position taken by the traditional Anglo-Saxon media."
The spokesman also did not comment on Carlson’s statement about his willingness to also interview Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. "Here, again, I cannot speak for him [Zelensky]. That is a matter for the Kiev regime. They give many interviews," Peskov said, responding to a question as to whether such an interview would be beneficial.
He also pointed out that Carlson did not share his takeaways about his meeting with Putin or the actual interview.
"No, he didn’t share [his thoughts on the interview]," Peskov said. "I am not Carlson’s press secretary; I wouldn’t want to be. I am Putin’s press secretary, after all," the spokesman pointed out.