'He works for Putin' — Zelensky slams Tucker Carlson's pro-Russian commentary
Far-right American commentator Tucker Carlson is spreading misinformation and parroting Kremlin narratives, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with U.K. journalist Piers Morgan published Feb. 4.
In a previous interview between Carlson and Morgan, Carlson accused Zelensky of behaving like a dictator by suppressing religious freedom and the rights of Russian speakers in Ukraine.
"That is all lies, that is all (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's narrative," Zelensky said in response.
By regurgitating pro-Kremlin talking points, Carlson is "misinforming" the American public, Zelensky told Morgan. Zelensky also pointed out that Russia's full-scale war has hit territories in eastern Ukraine the hardest, meaning that Putin's violence has disproportionately targeted Russian speakers.
"Regrettably, this blogger or journalist, whatever he wants to call himself, he fully repeats the words of Putin. ... He works for Putin."
Carlson, a conservative commentator and close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, is among the strongest pro-Russian voices in the U.S., spreading the Kremlin's unsubstantiated claims across a variety of platforms.
Last year, Carlson aired interviews with both Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, allowing them to repeat debunked narratives of Ukrainian-Russian history unchallenged.
Zelensky suggested that Carlson work to better understand Ukraine and stop circulating propaganda on behalf of the Russian government.
"It seems to me this journalist ... He needs to stop working for Putin, to stop licking his ass, honestly."
Andrea Januta
