PREVIEW

4 Takeaways From Tucker Carlson’s Interview With Vladimir Putin. Carlson's interview with the Russian president aired on Feb. 8, 'Newsweek' reports. Here are four highlights from their conversation. 1. Putin said there can still be peace with Ukraine. The Russian president claims that negotiators from his country tried to secure a peace deal with Ukraine early on, but the West encouraged Volodymyr Zelensky to keep fighting. Putin went on to say that Zelensky later signed a decree forbidding negotiations with Russia. 2. NATO is a sore spot for Putin. While Putin detailed his objection to NATO's expansion throughout the interview, he also said that he once asked President Bill Clinton about joining the alliance. He alleges that Clinton indicated it would be possible but later backtracked on his claims. "If he had said yes, the process of rapprochement would have commenced, and eventually it might have happened if we had seen some sincere wish on the side of our partners. But it didn't happen. Well, no means no.", 3. Putin believes the U.S. fears China more than Russia. "The West is afraid of strong China more than it fears a strong Russia, because Russia has 150 million people and China has 1.5 billion population. And its economy is growing by leaps and bounds, or 5 percent a year." Russian President Vladimir Putin, to Tucker Carlson. 4. Putin shared his thoughts about the next U.S. president. He touched on his good rapport with former Presidents Trump and George W. Bush, while not being able to recall the last time he spoke with President Biden. Ultimately, Putin said "it is not about the leader." It is about decisions made by "ruling elites”. THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT