MOSCOW, July 19. /TASS/. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin and US journalist Tucker Carlson didn’t spend a long time talking after they filmed a one-on-one interview in February.
"The communication following the interview was quite brief," he said, declining to elaborate. "That's the only thing I can say."
Peskov was also asked to comment on Tucker’s remarks, where he blamed Washington for the Ukrainian conflict, but also described Russia as an "authoritarian country."
"That’s Mr. Carlson’s personal opinion," the spokesman said.
Carlson earlier told The Wall Street Journal that he was able to speak privately with Putin after the recording of the interview. According to the journalist, they discussed, among other things, the conflict in Ukraine.
Carlson said Putin expressed concern that the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine could escalate into a nuclear conflict. Putin also expressed disappointment that he had not spoken to US President Joe Biden since February 2022, and said that some members of the US administration that have ancestors in Ukraine are obstructing peace efforts.
The interview with Putin that Carslon recorded in the Kremlin in February racked up more than 200 million views. Peskov said at the time that Putin achieved the main goal of the interview to break through the information blockade in the West and be heard.