On Tuesday, journalist and political commentator Tucker Carlson announced an interview with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, after having previously interviewed Russian President Vladimir Putin. Carlson noted the lack of official communication between the United States and Russian governments, despite an apparent escalation of the conflict by the outgoing Biden administration.
“We felt there must be someone behind the scenes in Washington working to make sure that this conflict doesn’t become a nuclear holocaust. But we found out that no, in fact, there is nobody… There is no back channel, there is no conversation, and there hasn’t been for more than two years,” Carlson said in a video from Moscow.
Carlson said that he asked Lavrov whether the US and Russia are headed toward an unprecedented conflict, whether there is any way to peel Moscow away from Beijing, and whether Donald Trump’s presidency will spell the end of the war. The interview is coming out very soon, according to Carlson.
Most Americans have no access to perspectives on the Ukraine-Russia conflict outside of those pushed by the mainstream media, Carlson added. Indeed, the Biden administration recently cracked down on Russian media in the US in an effort to combat alleged misinformation and influence operations.
Moreover, Carlson claimed that the US Embassy in Kiev blocked his attempts to interview Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Carlson said that he tried to organize the interview for more than a year, attacking the issue from multiple angles.
The Biden administration’s desire to forcefully control the public narrative about the Ukraine-Russia conflict is extremely concerning, and the lack of sincere diplomatic engagement even more so.
As fellow journalist Glenn Greenwald pointed out in response to Carlson’s announcement, the worst part of the so-called Russiagate story was creating a climate in Washington where “communication with the largest nuclear power was taboo.” Regrettably, I believe that bureaucratic diplomats do not enjoy ending conflicts, because their jobs are way more boring in peacetime.
At this time, Carlson is proving a better diplomat to Russia than anyone at the US State Department. He is one of the few people with the influence and connections to engage in dialogue that makes a difference, particularly considering his ties to the incoming administration.
Not only does Carlson have the political ties to tangibly improve US-Russia relations, he also has the audience. Carlson’s reach is huge in right-wing spheres, and his actions get attention (even if negative) in the mainstream media. He has a unique ability to get the voices of Putin and Lavrov through the earmuffs that the Biden regime has placed over Americans’ heads. With any luck, people whose curiosity is sparked by Carlson’s work will turn to Scott Horton’s book Provoked next.
Carlson is doing what the State Department should be: engaging in active, authentic, sincere dialogue with Russia to try to understand their perspective and reach a point of consensus on critical issues. Onlookers should not buy everything that the likes of Putin and Lavrov say at face value, but they should be able to freely familiarize themselves with their contentions.
We only stand to benefit from understanding the actions and motives of a fellow nuclear superpower. Carlson’s efforts may not succeed in the end, but unlike diplomats at the State Department, at least he is trying.
Ethan Charles Holmes is an experienced reporter with an academic background in Russian culture, history, and politics. He is a regular commentator on foreign policy and advocate for non-interventionism. You can follow him on X @the_posts or email him at ethan.ch.holmes@gmail.com.”
