MOSCOW, February 5. /TASS/. US journalist Tucker Carlson, currently on a visit to Moscow, said that Russia is "doing very well."

Last weekend, several Telegram channels reported that Carlson had arrived in Russia. In particular, a photo of the US journalist attending a performance at the Bolshoi Theater was posted widely on social media. The US media speculated that Carlson may be angling to land an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Izvestia released a video of Carlson’s interview with a Russian reporter on its Telegram channel. According to the newspaper, "a witness talked" with the US journalist at a Moscow hotel. The Russian interviewer said he thought Carlson was "the best American journalist." Carlson thanked the Russian reporter and inquired where he was from. "I am from Moscow," the latter replied. "I love this city; it’s beautiful," the visiting US journalist said in response.

Commenting on the reasons behind his trip to Russia, Carlson said: "I’ve read so much about it, but I’ve never seen it before. So, I wanted to chat with people and take a look around to see how it is doing. It is doing very well."

As regards a potential interview with the Russian leader, Carlson was noncommittal. He simply shrugged his shoulders as he said: "We’ll see."

When asked to comment on the likely US media reaction to his trip, the US reporter said: "I don’t know, they are really crazy."