A former Fox host’s interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin could be grounds for sanctions from European Union lawmakers, Newsweek reported.
Carlson visited Russia this week and said Tuesday he would publish an interview with the Russian leader “soon.” However, Guy Verhofstadt, a former Belgian prime minister and current member of the European Parliament, warned that this could result in a conflict between the former Fox News host and the EU.
Explaining the reasons for the interview, Carlson claimed in a video message on Tuesday:
We are not here because we love Vladimir Putin… We are not encouraging you to agree with what Putin may say in this interview, but we are urging you to watch it. You should know as much as you can.
The EU’s External Action Service (EAS) is the bloc’s diplomatic arm responsible for foreign policy. For a person to be placed on the EU sanctions list, evidence must be submitted to the EAS for verification. Then, if it is sufficient, the EAS can submit the case to the European Council, which makes the final decision to impose sanctions.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the interview had already taken place.
“His position is different from the others. It is in no way pro-Russian, it is not pro-Ukrainian, it is pro-American, but at least it contrasts with the position of the traditional Anglo-Saxon media.”
Carlson’s interview will make him the first representative of the Western media to ask Putin questions since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in February 2022.
Americans have a right to know all they can about a war they’re implicated in and we have the right to tell them about it.
Carlson also requested an interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
