President Vladimir V. Putin referred to as on the US to “make an settlement” ceding Ukrainian territory to Russia with the intention to finish the struggle, talking for 2 hours with a former Fox Information host in an interview broadcast Thursday that was the Kremlin’s most direct attraction to American audiences since his invasion started two years in the past.
“Wouldn’t it’s higher to barter with Russia? Make an settlement,” Mr. Putin instructed Tucker Carlson, the American conservative commentator, within the Russian chief’s first interview with an American outlet since 2021. “Begin respecting our nation and its pursuits and search for sure options.”
A lot of the interview constituted a well-recognized Kremlin historical past lesson about Russia’s historic declare to Jap European lands, starting within the ninth century, that Mr. Putin made little effort to distill for American ears. Mr. Putin additionally laid out his well-worn and spurious justifications for invading Ukraine, asserting that Russia’s aim was to “cease this struggle” that he claims the West is waging towards Russia.
However Mr. Putin was extra direct than standard about how he sees his Ukraine invasion ending: not with a army victory, however via an settlement with the West. On the interview’s finish, Mr. Putin instructed Mr. Carlson that the time had come for talks about ending the struggle as a result of “those that are in energy within the West have come to appreciate” that Russia is not going to be defeated on the battlefield.
“If that’s the case, if the conclusion has set in, they must suppose what to do subsequent. We’re prepared for this dialogue,” Mr. Putin mentioned.
Responding to Mr. Carlson’s query about whether or not NATO may settle for Russian management over components of Ukraine, Mr. Putin mentioned: “Allow them to suppose methods to do it with dignity. There are alternatives if there’s a will.”
The unique, Russian model of Mr. Putin’s feedback was not instantly launched, leaving viewers to depend on the dubbed translation in Mr. Carlson’s broadcast.
The interview, performed on Tuesday, was Mr. Putin’s first with a Western media outlet because the begin of the struggle in Ukraine and his first with an American one since 2021. Whereas Mr. Putin repeatedly gave interviews to mainstream American media in his first twenty years in energy, his spokesman mentioned the Kremlin selected Mr. Carlson this time as a result of these conventional retailers take “an solely one-sided place” with regard to Russia.
Afforded an opportunity by Mr. Carlson to broaden on his efforts to painting Russia as a defender of “conventional values” towards what he often depicts as a degenerate and declining West, the Russian president was uncharacteristically restrained. “Western society is extra pragmatic,” he mentioned. “Russian individuals suppose extra concerning the everlasting, about ethical values.”
He added that “there’s nothing fallacious with” the Western path, noting that it had led to “good success in manufacturing, even in science.” It was an echo of Mr. Putin’s frequent assertion over the past two years that his battle will not be with the West as a complete, however with a hegemonic ruling elite.
Mr. Putin’s look underscored his tactical confidence as his adversaries face a weak second: Ukraine is struggling on the battlefield, additional army support is stalled within the U.S. Congress and Kremlin-friendly politicians are ascendant on either side of the Atlantic. Chief amongst these politicians is former President Donald J. Trump, the Republican presidential front-runner whom Mr. Carlson often praises.
That confluence of circumstances signifies that the interview with Mr. Carlson comes as Mr. Putin senses his “best hour,” mentioned Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow on the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Heart.
Mr. Putin’s finish aim, she mentioned, is to safe a peace deal in Ukraine that may cement Russia’s management of the territory it has already captured and to put in a pleasant authorities in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital. However to realize it, Mr. Putin seems to consider that he wants the US to place strain on Ukraine to carry negotiations on ending the struggle, relatively than to proceed to withstand Russia’s invasion.
“He believes that he now has a window of alternative,” she mentioned.