Putin Criticizes Tucker Carlson's Lack of 'Tough' Questions: 'Thought He Would Be More Aggressive'

Tucker Carlson drew major headlines when he interviewed Russia President Vladimir Putin, but did he nail it?

According to Putin himself, the journalist missed an opportunity, Knewz.com has learned.

Tucker Carlson (right) interviewed Russia President Vladimir Putin last week. By: MEGA

The Daily Mail reports that Putin, who spoke on Russian state television on Wednesday, February 14, didn’t think Carlson asked tough questions during the interview aired on Tucker Carlson’s website on February 8.

“To be honest, I thought he would be more aggressive and ask tough questions,” the autocrat said of 54-year-old Carlson, as Putin told propagandist Pavel Zarubin.

“And I wasn’t just ready for that, I wanted it, because it would have given me the opportunity to respond sharply in kind, which, in my opinion, would have added certain specificity to our conversation. But he chose a different tactic,” Putin, 71, added.

Vladimir Putin said Tucker Carlson’s interview lacked

Putin added that he didn’t get “complete satisfaction” from the interview.

“He tried to interrupt me several times, but still, surprisingly for a Western journalist, he proved patient and listened to my lengthy replies, especially about history,” Putin said. “And he didn’t give me reason to do what I was prepared for. So honestly speaking, I didn’t get complete satisfaction from that interview.”

The interview was Putin’s first with a Western journalist since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began nearly two years ago. The Kremlin said that Putin agreed to speak with Carlson because his view on the war was not in line with the rest of Western journalists.

Ukraine claims it has taken out one-third of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. By: MEGA

Putin spent much of the interview blaming Ukraine for the invasion.

“We were protecting our people, ourselves, our homeland and our future,” Putin said of the invasion, the biggest attack on a European country since World War II.

Putin also said the United States is responsible for the war continuing.

“If you really want to stop fighting, you need to stop supplying weapons. It will be over within a few weeks. That’s it,” Putin said.

Russia President Vladimir Putin has threatened to use nuclear weapons multiple times. By: MEGA

Putin also told Carlson during the interview that the Russia-Ukraine war could have been thwarted a year and a half ago.

As Knewz.com reported on February 9, Putin reportedly told Carlson that former United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson “dissuaded” the leader of Ukraine’s leading party from signing a document to end the conflict.

According to The Daily Mail, Putin told Carlson that Ukraine signed a deal to end the war but backed out after Johnson said it was “better to fight Russia.”

Tucker Carlson has been praised by Russian media leaders. By: MEGA

Putin alleged that Davyd Arakhamia, the head of Ukraine’s ruling party, put his “preliminary signature” on a document after negotiations with Russia in Istanbul before changing his stance.

“But then he [Arakhamia] publicly stated to the whole world, we were ready to sign this document but Mr. Johnson, then the Prime Minister, came and dissuaded us from doing this, saying it was better to fight Russia,” Putin said. “They would give everything needed for us to return what was lost during the clashes with Russia. And we agreed with this proposal.”

Putin said the idea of Kyiv refusing to sign the deal was “ridiculous.”

“And it’s very sad to me because, as Mr. Arakhamia put it, we could have stopped those hostilities with war a year and a half ago already. But the British persuaded us, and we refused this. Where is Mr. Johnson now? And the war continues,” Putin said.