Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that a potential deal to release Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich could be possible after “reciprocal steps” are taken. In an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Putin also emphasized that defeating Russia in Ukraine is “impossible” and asserted that he has no intention of expanding the war to neighboring countries such as Poland and Latvia. He stated that sending troops into neighboring countries would only happen if Russia were attacked first, and he denied having territorial ambitions across Europe.
During the interview, Putin discussed the history of Eastern Europe and Russia, stating that a peaceful resolution to the war in Ukraine would only be possible if the United States stops supplying weapons to Ukraine. He also indicated that a release of Gershkovich could be on the table, but only if reciprocal steps are taken by his partners. Gershkovich has been detained in Russia since March 2023 on spying charges that the US has described as “baseless”.
The Kremlin stated that Putin agreed to the interview with Carlson because it presented a less one-sided view of the war in Ukraine. Carlson has questioned the rationale for US support for Ukraine and criticized US media outlets for their coverage of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. However, Carlson faced criticism for travelling to Moscow to interview Putin, with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton labeling him a “useful idiot”.