Belteleradiocompany Chairman on world’s close attention to Tucker Carlson's interview with Putin: people want to know the truth
The number of viewers of the announcement of an interview of the most popular American journalist, Tucker Carlson, with Russian President Vladimir Putin reached 60.6m by 11am Minsk time, and that’s of little wonder: people want to know the truth about the special military operation – as stated by Ivan Eismont, the Chairman of the Belarusian State TV and Radio Company, in his talk with Alfa Radio
“Tucker Carlson is the most popular journalist in the United States – especially among young people who are quite apolitical, as public opinion polls show. Most Americans have no idea what is really happening between Russia and Ukraine, and they mostly share the view imposed by the White House and the Pentagon, as well as the media the latter two control and which actually prevail in the United States. It will be interesting to see the reaction of Americans after Vladimir Putin explains the reason, the state of affairs and, most importantly, the consequences of the special military operation for the collective West and the United States,” Mr. Eismont said.
He believes Tucker Carlson's interview with the Russian leader will become a true eye-opener for many Americans. “They do not know that Russia offered to conclude an agreement long before the start of its special military operation, and also on its eve. The neutrality of Ukraine and the cessation of the eight-year shelling of Donbass – as a result of which the Ukrainian Armed Forces killed 15,000 civilians – were the only points to agree upon,” Mr. Eismont noted, adding that Russia had been offering Ukraine to end the conflict on a daily basis since the start of the special military operation.
“In the end, [Russia] persuaded [Ukraine] into negotiations, and rounds were held in Belarus and Turkiye. An agreement was reached, but Boris Johnson arrived and instructed to continue fighting, doing that to the last Ukrainian. I think Americans will be slightly surprised upon hearing this, and – most importantly – they will start asking questions to Biden, who is running for president,” the expert said.
Mr. Eismont added that the Belarusian State TV and Radio Company and its Club of Editors programme, in particular, have repeatedly appealed to Western heads of state, politicians, and journalists, “We sent letters asking for an interview and proposed them to openly share their views on the most relevant topics. Our latest case refers to The Guardian: it published an article about the incident with the Ryanair plane and Roman Protasevich who was on board. We found at least fifteen fakes in the publication, and sent them videos and screenshots as evidence – inviting The Guardian to speak out, including live, to discuss what had really happened. We received no response, and there have been similar cases with other publications and politicians as well.”
The Belarusian State TV and Radio Company Chairman stressed that government officials in the West, including in the United States, avoid uncomfortable topics, and many ordinary citizens are aware of this – so Tucker Carlson's interview with Putin is much awaited.
“They do not want to turn to inconvenient topics. It is rather comfortable for them to throw mud at everyone while speaking from the European Parliament rostrum or with their own press service. They are generally not asked a single question in this case. Moreover, those asking awkward questions at White House briefings are ignored,” Mr. Eismont stressed.
