Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson says will interview Putin 'soon'

Tucker Carlson, a firebrand American talk show host, has said he was in Moscow to interview Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The announcement on Tuesday makes Carlson the first American media personality to land a formal interview with Putin since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began.

Carlson, known for conservative opinions that have garnered a vast right-wing following, did not specify when the interview would be broadcast but mentioned that it would be free to watch on his personal website.

"We're here to interview the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin. We'll be doing that soon," Carlson said in a video posted on X, formerly Twitter.

"There are risks to conducting an interview like this, obviously. So, we've thought about it carefully over many months."

After being ousted last April from a primetime hosting slot on the influential right-wing network Fox News, Carlson launched a show on the Elon Musk-owned social media platform.

Carlson said Musk had "promised not to suppress or block" his Putin interview when it was eventually posted on X.

The trip and growing rumours that Carlson was set to meet with the Kremlin leader have already drawn strong rebukes from liberal American media commentators.

In his video, Carlson justified his visit to the Russian capital in what he called a self-financed trip to conduct the interview.

"We're in journalism. Our duty is to inform people. Two years into a war [with Ukraine] that is reshaping the entire world, most Americans are not informed," Carlson said.

"They have no real idea what is happening in this region. Here in Russia or 600 miles away in Ukraine. But they should know. They're paying for much of it."

Carlson has done many interviews that have been branded as controversial, including one with former US president Donald Trump and another one with controversial social media personality Andrew Tate.

Carlson criticises western media

Carlson blasted US media outlets for several interviews with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which he said were often "fawning pep sessions" designed to amplify the Ukrainian leader's demand that "the US enter more deeply" into the war and "pay for it."

Carlson's announcement comes as President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that Congress will play into the Kremlin's hands if it fails to renew US funding for Ukraine's fight against Russia's attack.

The "clock is ticking" for Ukraine, Biden said, calling out Trump for discouraging lawmakers from passing a $118 billion bill which ties Ukraine aid to immigration curbs, and which Republicans have said they will block.

Carlson blamed Western media for not attempting to interview Putin, a claim immediately disputed by journalists. "Carlson's upcoming interview with Putin tracks with his long history of pro-Kremlin propaganda," said left-leaning watchdog Media Matters, adding that his anti-Ukraine stance has been repeatedly celebrated in Russian state media.

Carlson was ousted from Fox after a defamation lawsuit, in which Dominion Voting Systems accused Fox News of airing false claims after the election, which ultimately cost the broadcaster $787.5 million.

Carlson soon moved to X, where his videos have garnered millions of views.

Fox News has launched a legal battle to halt his shows, arguing they violate the terms of his contract.