Is Tucker Carlson in Moscow for Putin? The pro-Kremlin crowd hopes so

Conservative polemicist Tucker Carlson, or someone who looks just like him, has been spotted in Moscow, to the great joy of the pro-Kremlin community.

On Sunday, a Telegram channel considered close to Russian law enforcement reported Carlson had flown into Moscow from Istanbul three days earlier. The post, published by Mash, included two photos, supposedly showing Carlson at an airport and another at Moscow’s Bolshoi Theater, where he was said to have attended а ballet performance on Sunday. 

It is supposedly the first time Carlson has visited Russia.

Although there has been no official confirmation, pro-Kremlin pundits and military bloggers have relished the news as a sign the former Fox News host is going to interview Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

“Without exaggerating, it is safe to say that we are in for an epochal event,” the Bezgranichny Analitik Telegram channel wrote. It added that, if it comes about, it would be Putin’s first sit-down interview with a Western journalist since his “special military operation” against Ukraine was launched almost two years ago. “And be assured, this time Putin will be heard by many in the West,” said the post, widely shared by pro-Kremlin bloggers.

Another channel belonging to the RIA state news agency wrote that in past interviews with American journalists, Putin had to defend himself against various “accusations.” 

“Maybe he’ll be more lucky with Tucker Carlson — it is said the TV host, who openly sympathizes with Russia, has come here in the hope of talking to Putin,” the post said.

In September, Carlson told Die Weltwoche that he had “tried to interview Vladimir Putin, but the U.S. government stopped me.”

“Well, you’re not allowed to hear Putin’s voice, ‘coz why?” Carlson complained.

Soon after, Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that although the Kremlin received “dozens” of such requests from Western media every day, it did not consider an interview useful because “[Western] society has been stupefied by Russophobic propaganda.”

But Peskov didn’t discount the possibility of an in-depth interview with a Western journalist in the future, saying: “Whether or not Carlson will be among the potential candidates, we’ll have to wait and see.” 

Formerly a prime-time host on Fox News, Carlson was squeezed out by the network last April over a defamation scandal. In December he launched his own streaming service. Before then, Carlson published interviews on X with Argentina’s Javier Milei and Hungary’s Viktor Orbán.

Donald Trump has openly said he would consider Carlson as a potential running mate.