What Does Tucker Carlson’s Vladimir Putin Interview Mean for the Ukraine War?

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What Does Tucker Carlson’s Vladimir Putin Interview Mean for the Ukraine War?

Whatever Carlson’s motivations, the interview has provided analysts with useful new data on the Russian president’s thinking.

All of these points could be—and have been—derived from the close study of Russian presidential rhetoric and government actions over the last several years. Yet the unusual nature of the Tucker-Putin interview brings them into sharper relief and helps us better understand the worldview of Russia’s leader. For these reasons, it was a media spectacle well worth the cringe and bizarreness for the analyst community here in the West. 

Dr. Julian G. Waller is a Research Analyst in the Russia Studies Program at the Center for Naval Analyses (CNA Corporation) and a Professorial Lecturer in Political Science at George Washington University. All opinions are his own and do not reflect his employers’ or affiliated organizations. Follow him on X @JulianWaller.

Image: Shutterstock.com.