Tucker Carlson's neglectful interviewing of Putin: a disservice to journalism, says Boris Johnson
In his column for the Daily Mail, Johnson stated that Tucker "avoided tough questions. He didn't press Putin on why he continues to use extreme methods of modern warfare to maim and murder innocent Ukrainian civilians."
"He failed to rebuke him for tortures, rapes, bombing kindergartens—all utterly unnecessary and unprovoked actions. Not once did he try to stem the tide of Putin's falsehoods. Instead, he adoringly marveled at Putin's supposed knowledge, naively accepting an assortment of skewed Wikipedia facts and the Russian leader's blatant lies—like the peculiar (and sinister) insinuation that Poland somehow brought its division and destruction in 1939 upon itself—as if Russia wasn't involved in the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact," Johnson elaborated.
He failed to challenge the far-fetched suggestion that the UK government persuaded the Ukrainians to keep fighting rather than capitulate to Putin in the spring of 2022.
The ex-British Prime Minister labeled it "ludicrous" for the Russian dictator to claim he "incited Ukrainians to resist."
"As any Ukrainian government official, including Zelensky, will confirm, nothing and no one could dissuade those courageous Ukrainians from defending their country—and nothing will," Johnson assures.
He added that throughout the two-year conflict, Putin "completely undermined his own argument." "With his reckless and criminal hostilities, he made it abundantly clear that he was egregiously misguided. He showed that Ukraine is more than just a large nation - Putin's foolish missteps have fuelled a patriotic spirit that is more resilient and enduring than any other in the world."
"Like Hitler, he deceives about his future plans"
Further addressing Carlson, who "overlooked this" and merely allowed the dictator "to squander half an hour musing over the purported historical non-existence of Ukraine."
"The Russian leader decided to invade a sovereign and independent European nation—with no justification other than a despotic desire to subjugate that country and resurrect the Soviet Union. Like Hitler, he is deceptive about his plans," Johnson believes.
The past prime minister directed his words to Tucker Carlson, saying, "You have the opportunity to show the world that attempts to alter borders by force result in calamity; as the most egregious lie of all—and the one Putin most wanted to reveal in his interview—is that the Russian leader is destined for victory. He is no more invincible than Adolf Hitler; in fact, he is headed for failure."
