Information
Russian President Vladimir Putin asserted the invincibility of Russia and placed the responsibility for ending the war in Ukraine squarely on the shoulders of the Ukrainian government in a recent extensive interview with Tucker Carlson, a right-wing former Fox News host. Putin also explicitly denied any plans to invade Poland or Latvia and suggested the possibility of an agreement that could lead to the release of imprisoned Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.
In the interview, Putin dismissed the notion of a strategic defeat for Russia on the battlefield, stating, “Up until now, there has been the uproar and screaming about inflicting a strategic defeat to Russia on the battlefield. But now they are apparently coming to realize that it is difficult to achieve, if possible, at all. In my opinion, it is impossible by definition.” This strong assertion reflects Putin’s confidence in Russia’s military capabilities.
The Kremlin offered insight into the decision to grant an interview to Carlson, stating that his approach differed from the “one-sided” reporting found in many Western news outlets covering the Ukraine conflict. Notably, Carlson refrained from challenging Putin’s statements during the interview and engaged in several light-hearted exchanges with the Russian leader. It is worth noting that Carlson is known for spreading conspiracy theories and was terminated by Fox News last year without specific reasons provided for his dismissal.
Source: AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters
Assessment
This is one part of Putin’s interview that is worth focusing on, as it was one of the underlying points that he seemed to try to get across that is quite dangerous to go unchallenged. Despite what Putin says the Russian Military is not “undefeatable”, Ukraine has already shown that it is possible that with the right support, they will be able to rout them from Ukraine.
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