HOPE FOR EVAN
Putin tells Tucker Carlson deal could be reached to free WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich locked up on bogus spy charges
Watch footage from the surreal interview above
VLADIMIR Putin revealed that falsely imprisoned journalist Evan Gershkovich could be freed during a bizarre interview with Tucker Carlson.
Volatile despot Vlad said an "agreement" between Russia and the US could be made to release the American - who has been behind bars now for almost a year.
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The two-hour interview with American TV anchor Carlson, 54, was Putin's first with Western media since his bloody invasion of Ukraine two years ago.
During the surreal sit down Vlad threatened to launch a third world war if US troops entered Ukraine, blamed Boris Johnson for the conflict and bragged about Russia's nukes.
Carlson pushed the interview as an exposing of the "truth" after years of so-called propaganda in the West about Putin's war.
But when he tried to steer Putin off of long-winded historical rants to put a question to him - the tyrant bit back: "Are we going to have a serious talk or a show?”
Carlson is popular with Putin's Kremlin cronies - and boldly put questions about jailed journalist Gershkovich to the man himself.
He insisted that the American is obviously not a spy - after almost a year without a shred of evidence from Russia on the trumped up charges.
Putin has a history for jailing journalists who oppose him - and Gershkovich, who faces 20 years, serves as a prime example.
The WSJ called his arrest "a vicious affront to a free press" that "should spur outrage in all free people and governments throughout the world".
Most read in The US Sun
Putin was quick to double down on baseless claims that the journalist had been sneaking classified and confidential information.
Despite his delusions - the Russian tyrant did eventually say an "agreement can be reached" to send Gershkovich home to the US.
FREE EVAN
Carlson asked the Russian despot if he would be willing to release Gershkovich - who is considered around the globe to be innocent.
Vlad hit back "We have made so many goodwill gestures that, it seems to me, we have run out of them."
And in a deluded rant he went on: “No one has ever responded to our goodwill gestures with similar gestures.
"But we, in principle, are ready to say that we do not exclude the possibility that we can do this with counter-movement from our partners.
He eventually said: "We have no taboo about solving this problem. We are ready to solve it, but there are certain conditions that are being discussed through special services channels between the intelligence services.
"I think an agreement can be reached."
Gershkovich, a WSJ reporter, was locked up by Russian thugs on bogus spy charges in March 2023.
He was seized by secret police and chucked into jail - but categorically denied all the allegations.
Russia has never provided any evidence against him - but trots him out every so often to appear in court and have his brutal sentence extended.
Just days ago the 32-year-old was given a longer sentence again in a cruel move - and is likely to stay in a Moscow jail until at least the end of March.
Putin told Carlson it would not "make any sense" to keep Gershkovich in prison in Russia and even strangely insisted he was "sincere" about the American's release.
“We are ready to talk", he claimed.
"Moreover, the talks are underway and there have been many successful examples of these talks crowned with success.
“Probably this is going to be crowned with success as well. But we have to come to an agreement.
"I also want him to return to his homeland at last. I'm absolutely sincere."
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Putin fears the free press
VLADIMIR Putin is known for jailing members of the press as he fears any criticism of his despotic regime.
By the end of last year at least 22 different journalists were behind bars in Russia.
Arrest warrants have also been issued to capture Russian journalists who fled into exile at the beginning of Vlad's war in Ukraine.
Among those behind bars there now are two Americans: WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich and Radio Free Europe editor Alsu Kurmasheva.
Both are Russian-American and both were jailed on bogus spy charges.
Siberian journalist Maria Ponomarenko was sentenced to six years in prison last February for violating Russia's wartime censorship laws.
Dad-of-five Mikhail Afanasyev was arrested in April 2022 for spreading "fake" news about Russia's army and faces eight years in prison.
And in September 2022 a defence reporter from several prominent Russian newspapers - Ivan Safronov - was convicted of treason and locked up for 22 years.
He was accused - like Gershkovich - of gathering and sharing confidential information.
Alexander Valovm who edited an independent blog, was thrown behind bars for six years in December 2018 for 'extortion' - after criticising the government.
During the interview, the tyrant was asked if he would re-establish communication with the US government once a new president comes into power.
Putin responded by mulling over his alliances with former presidents George Bush and Donald Trump.
Vlad claimed he "had a very good relationship with Bush.”
He also insisted he had "such a personal relationship with Trump as well."
The despot then went off-topic to suggest "domination" would make things worse in America.
When asked about Joe Biden, Putin refused to go into detail about his relationship with him, insisting he does not remember the last time they spoke.
AI Rant
The interview later took a bizarre turn when Putin voluntarily brought up Elon Musk.
Putin suggested that AI advancement needs to be handled with caution similarly to how nuclear weapons are.
Specifically, Putin said he thinks an agreement needs to be made with Musk revolving his chips with Neuralink to create ground rules.
When asked "what he thinks about it," the dictator added, "I think there's no stopping Elon Musk."
"He will do as he sees fit. Nevertheless, you'll need to find some common ground with him."
He went on to compare AI to nuclear war, stressing that humanity "has to consider what is going to happen due to the newest development in genetics or in AI."
"One can make an approximate prediction of what will happen," Putin said.
"Once mankind felt an existential threat coming from nuclear weapons - all nuclear nations began to come to terms with one another, since they realized the negligent use of nuclear weaponry could drive humanity to extinction.
"It is impossible to stop research in genetics or AI today, just as it was impossible to stop the use of gunpowder back in the day.
"But as soon as we realize that the threat comes from unbridled and uncontrolled development of AI or genetics or any other field, the time will come to reach an international agreement on how to regulate these things."
'Unstoppable missiles'
He went on to warn Russia has an "unstoppable" missile system.
Putin said: "We are now ahead of everyone, the United States and the other countries in terms of the development of hypersonic strike systems.
"And we are improving them every day."
The war-mongering Russian also wrongly claimed he did not start the war against Ukraine and said his war actions were an attempt to stop its war against him.
A staggering 10,000 Ukrainian civilians deaths have been recorded since Putin launched his brutal Ukraine invasion in February 2022.
As of December 2023, the Joe Biden administration and the US Congress had directed more than $75 billion in assistance to Ukraine, per the Council on Foreign Relations.
Carlson said he was motivated to sit down with Putin to give an alternative perspective to Zelensky, whose army is thought to have lost at least 70,000 soldiers to Putin.
You should know as much as you can. And then like a free citizen and not a slave, you can decide for youself.
Tucker Carlson
In the days before the war, Carlson asked the public to consider what was motivating the conflict.
"It may be worth asking yourself, since this is getting pretty serious, what is this really about?" he said on Fox News.
"Why do I hate Putin so much? Has Putin ever called me a racist? Has he ever threatened to get me fired for disagreeing with him?"
Carlson has since been criticized for being too gentle toward Russia and its war-mongering leader.
Former Republican Representative Adam Kinzinger called Carlson a "traitor" on X after rumors circulated that he was in Moscow.
Meanwhile, Carlson asked his audience to consider Putin's words and then draw their own conclusions.
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"We are not encouraging you to agree with what Putin may say in this interview, but we are urging you to watch it," Carlson said on X.
"You should know as much as you can. And then, like a free citizen and not a slave, you can decide for yourself."
Putin's war in Ukraine wreaks devastating death toll
A staggering 10,000 Ukrainian civilian deaths have been recorded since Putin launched his brutal invasion in February 2022.
But the UN believes that the real number is much higher.
This estimate includes more than 560 children.
Ukraine is also thought to have lost at least 70,000 soldiers in the fight against Russia.
174 civilian citizens from other countries have also been killed during Putin's offensive - three of which were from the UK.
Meanwhile, it has been estimated that Russia has only lost 79 civilians.
Putin has lost over 300,000 soldiers in bloody meat-grinder battles since the start of his war.
Just ten months into his own war, Putin had already lost 100,000 Russian men.
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