Tucker Carlson interviews Vladimir Putin: What’s the controversy about?

The US television presenter is set to release an interview with the Russian president. Here is what we know about it.

American news anchor Tucker Carlson is set to release a much-anticipated interview with Vladimir Putin on Thursday, with the White House expressing concerns about giving the Russian president a platform.

Carlson, a former Fox News presenter known for his conservative talking points, said the interview would be broadcast at 23:00 GMT on his website as well as social media platform X, where he runs a show called Tucker on X.

Here is what to know about the interview and the controversy around it.

Carlson confirmed on Tuesday he was in Moscow, the Russian capital, to interview Putin. “We’re in Moscow tonight. We’re here to interview the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin,” Carlson said in a video posted on X on Tuesday that seems to be shot from a tower in Moscow.

The presenter, who has criticised the US media’s coverage of the Ukraine-Russia war, said his objective was to counter what he described as pro-Ukraine “fawning pep sessions” by Western media covering the war.