Tucker Carlson and Vladimir Putin Interview: What President Putin Really Said

by Peter Koenig

Introductory Note

In Yesterday’s article entitled: NATO Confirmed that Ukraine “War Started in 2014”. Who Started the War? (February 11, 2023)

I focussed on the implications of a controversial statement by NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg who confirmed on behalf of NATO that the “war didn’t start in 2022”. 

In an interview with The Washington Post (May 9, 2023), Jens Stoltenberg unequivocally confirmed that “the war started in 2014″. 

What this statement suggests is that US-NATO was already at war in 2014. It also tacitly acknowledges that Russia did not “initiate the war” on Ukraine in February 2022.

Jens Stoltenberg’s bold statement (which has barely been the object of media coverage) has opened up a Pandora’s Box, or best described “A Can of Worms” on behalf of the Atlantic Alliance.

What Stoltenberg’s statement bears out is that the beginning of the Ukraine war coincided with a U.S. sponsored Coup d’état, confirmed by Victoria’s Nuland‘s “F**k the EU telephone conversation with U.S. Ambassador Pyatt  in February 2014.

That was exactly ten years ago.

Today, I am featuring the text of guest author and renowned economist Peter Koenig which carefully reviews the implications of Tucker Carlson’s controversial interview with President Vladimir Putin.

Koenig explains how the Interview has opened up another “Can of Worms” , which questions the legitimacy of U.S. foreign policy.

Michel Chossudovsky, February 12, 2024

Tucker Carlson and Vladimir Putin Interview: What President Putin Really Said

by Peter Koenig

First, much credit is due to both Tucker Carlson and Vladimir Putin for having agreed to speak to each other – or rather President Putin speaking to Tucker, as it was a lesson in Russian history and Russian culture and Russian soul, that President Putin gave not only to Tucker, but to the rest of the western world, most of whom have no clue what Russia is, and what makes Russia tick.

Tucker shared his reflections straight after his interview with Putin…

“You’d have to be crazy to think that Russia will give up Crimea.”

“You’d have to be an idiot to think that Russia is an expansionist power; it’s already huge and doesn’t need more territory.”

“You’d have to be an idiot to think that Russia could roll tanks into Vienna; there’s no evidence of such intentions.”

“We are ruled by lunatics”— referring to the US leadership’s desire for regime change in Russia.

Here is the full interview (with transcript)

After this widely anticipated interview, announced, and awaited with high expectations, Tucker Carlson has been widely demonized by western media and politicians. “How dare you talking to our prime enemy!” was the common tenor.

Unelected EU Commissioner, Madame Von der Leyen, talked about “sanctioning” Tucker Carlson, by banning him from entering the EU. It is more than ridiculous and will never happen. The sheer propaganda moment in such a statement shows how desperate the EU is – to follow in the boots steps of America – for the EU as well as the Washington Masters, are falling apart rapidly.

In the US, voices could be heard to call for taking Tucker’s US nationality away, to ban him from re-entering the US. And these voices were even louder than those decrying the Biden Administration-made immigrant scandal at the Texas border – that many are afraid could work itself from destabilizing American society into an outright civil war.

This is the state of affairs in a – not crazy, but defunct – world. How to get out of it?

Tucker Carlson has tried an opening to the East, to Russia; preparing for a geopolitical olive-branch, bringing back conscience in the ranks of American politicians. Will it work? It remains to be seen.

For all those who still believe in the mainstream’s vilification of Vladmir Putin, but are ever-more doubtful and would like to know the truth, President Putin tells an extraordinary story of reality about Russia, the country’s history, all the way back to the 8^th century, laying out very clearly that not only eastern but also western Ukraine – Kiev – is historically a part of Russia.

If comparing this Russia knowledge of history with the Zionist claim over Palestine – you know who is telling the truth and who is lying through their teeth, just for grandeur, dominance, and power – all to achieve a Greater Israel – stamped out of nowhere – to present themselves to the world as “the Chosen People”.

Fortunately, eventually Light will prevail over Darkness and the Zionists will not achieve their wicked objectives. Unfortunately, though, with the pathologically sick support of western leaders, their defeat could take years – and the death toll during this period could become astronomical.

Warmongers React to Tucker Carlson’s Supposed Moscow “Putin Interview”

And who says or believes that Greater Israel would be the endgame?

From what can be seen today, and also read into President Putin’s interview statements,  the West, the combination of the dying empire, US of A, and the puppet Europe with her unelected leadership, and the individual EU countries with World Economic Forum (WEF)-implants as Young Global Leaders (YGL), speak tyrants – those who were privileged to absolve Klaus Schwab’s Academy of dictatorship and fascist-teaching – Trudeau, Macron, Von der Leyen, Scholz, Rutte et al – are hell-bent to go to war with Iran for her riches and because Iran, a close ally of Russia and China, is a disturbance for the west.

Iran is a powerhouse for the new BRICS. A western attack on Iran would be as suicidal as an assault on Russia and China. Russia assumes currently the leadership of the BRICS. Under Vladimir Putin, it will be a strong leadership.

Nothing of this was put in words by President Putin – but it is as much of what he did not say and one can read implicitly between the lines – as what he did say, that makes President Putin a formidable diplomat and indeed leading Statesman. The west has none of his kind. This interview may become an extraordinary milestone of history.

Despite being showered with western insults and sanctions for years non-stop, President Putin used not one word of insult against western leaders.

To the contrary, when asked by Tucker, how Putin’s counterparts reacted to his approaches, conversations, or suggestions for negotiations, on Ukraine, for example, Putin said he would not comment, and the good journalist, who Tucker Carlson is, might better ask directly at the source.

It is also clear, Russia does not have, never had at least during the last 300-plus years – any ambitions for expansion. Russia’s territory of some 17.1 million square kilometers (km2), of which about 16.4 million km2 land area, representing about 11% of the earth’s total landmass – and the riches of natural resources it harbors – are so huge, there is no need for more, as President Putin had already pointed out on many earlier occasions.

There is no reason at all for any recently-joined-NATO Scandinavian countries to be afraid of a Russian invasion. The ugly truth is, the leadership (sic) of these countries know it, but they play along with the US-EU-NATO Russia-Russia-Russia demonization.

Do they think, it is good for them?

Or have they been coerced, or even threatened to play along?

What do they get for the lies they spread and fear they plant in their people? For the crime they commit?

When President Putin spoke about the western so-called “invasion” of Ukraine on 22 February 2022, he made clear that the war started already in 2014, when on 21 February 2014, almost to the day eight years before, the democratically elected and Russia-friendly President Yanukovich was ousted by a coup and had to flee Ukraine.

NATO Secretary Stoltenberg recently said the same – the war started already in 2014.

The great diplomat, President Putin, did not say that this coup was inspired and planned way ahead by the US with the help of the European Union (remember Victoria Nuland’s infamous “f*ck Europe”?), but it was obvious to most listeners and, of course, also to the interviewer, Tucker Carlson.

President Putin was visibly and deeply disappointed and disturbed, when he found out that the September 2014 Minsk Agreement, and the “Second Minsk” in march 2015, both sponsored by France and Germany, under which Ukraine essentially had to disarm, become neutral and de-nazify her society, were never meant to be adhered to.

In December 2022, then Chancellor Angela Merkel told Die Zeit, “The 2014 Minsk agreement was an attempt to give Ukraine time; it [Ukraine] also used this time to become stronger, as you can see today.” This was a Bombshell, not just for Vladimir Putin, for most of the “innocent” – still believing – world.

The 2-hour-7-min interview is maybe best summarized by Scott Ritter who spoke to Sputnik on “X “ (6 minute-video) – providing a brilliant summary of the interview (9 February 2024):

Mr. Ritter lauded both President Putin and Tucker Carlson for their courage and in many ways audacity – and especially professionalism – to sit together and talk about Ukraine. Though, as we know by now – the interview was much more than an exchange of views, questions , and answers about Ukraine. The interview was more a lesson to the world on the Russian – Ukrainian joint past and – without mentioning it in words – western interference in a clearly internal affair.

Scott Ritter referred to the interview as a tour de force, where the Russian President was introducing an American audience to the nuances of Russian history and the complexity of the Russian soul. Because if you do not understand the basics of Russian history and how Russia functions, then you are on a journey without a map. So, Scott Ritter. He believes this may be the real value of the interview, creating a map.

According to Scott Ritter, Mr. Putin created a map for not only Tucker Carlson to understand, but the entire western world to start grasping, what makes Russia’s heart and soul.

President Putin attempted again to make the West understand what Russia is all about – namely not aggression and expansion, but seeking harmony and peace, while defending eastern Ukraine – especially the Donbass area from Kiev’s Nazi aggressions. He knows exactly what he is talking about.

The Stepan Bandera Nazi Nazi forces were fighting alongside Hitler’s Nazi army against the Soviet Union – causing countless deaths and misery

Mr. Putin clearly referred in this interview to a MUST de-Nazification of Ukraine – and he also pointed to the other three main objectives of Russia’s intervention, making Ukraine a neutral state, no NATO in Ukraine, and foremost defending the Russian communities especially in Eastern Ukraine, from Kiev’s Nazi aggressions.

Tucker Carlson opened the door into modern-day Russia, into understanding President Putin, into the History of Russia and into the Russian soul.

President Putin’s tireless effort in seeking harmony and cooperation, may be one of the key points shining through in the interview.

Mr. Putin knows, of course, that so far, the west has no interest whatsoever in seeking cooperation and harmonious cohabitation with Russia. To the contrary – the west wants to weaken Russia – hence, the senseless war funded by trillions of dollars or euros of US and EU taxpayers’ money – to dominate Russia and usurp her natural resources.

Despite this recognition, Vladimir Putin’s sending out positive signal and vibes, one day may bear fruit. That is the sense of peace seeking, of cooperation and friendship – that is a major objective of the Tao philosophy.

According to RT (Russia Today) of 10 February 2024, the two-hour interview gathered more than 46 million views on Carlson’s “X” account (formerly Twitter) and just under a million views on YouTube in the first hours since its release on Friday, 9 February.

In a previous post on “X” earlier this week, Carlson accused Western media outlets of lying to “their readers and viewers” by promoting Kiev’s stance while ignoring Russia’s.

“That’s wrong. Americans have the right to know all they can about a war they are implicated in,” he said.

Speaking to Russia’s Izvestia newspaper on Friday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: 

“This is phenomenal. Their reaction reveals the mendacity of their approaches so much that, frankly speaking, you can’t believe it.”

According to Ms. Zakharova,

“they’ve had a hysterical fit – the White House, the Department of State, all the mainstream media are shouting at the top of their lungs one thing only: don’t watch [President Putin’s interview], and that an American journalist shouldn’t conduct the interview.”

She added that such behavior takes the wind out of Washington’s sails in its attempts to present itself as a beacon of morality, human rights, democracy, [if there ever was ‘democracy’- PK comment] and freedom of speech.

Ms. Zakharova is more than right. This applies equally to the spineless EU. Let’s stay tuned for further fallouts from this interview – hopefully turning from negative to positive.

Peter Koenig’s article was first published on Global Research

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Peter Koenig is a geopolitical analyst and a former Senior Economist at the World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO), where he worked for over 30 years around the world. He lectures at universities in the US, Europe and South America. The original source of his article is Global Research. Copyright © Peter Koenig, Global Research, 2024