INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
President Vladimir Putin said in an interview released Thursday with controversial right-wing United States journalist Tucker Carlson that
Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich."Certain terms being discussed via special services channels," he said, while insisting that the reporter
from the Western media since 2019.However Carlson, who is close to White House candidate and former president Donald Trump, asked few tough
questions and largely listened while the Kremlin leader lectured him on his views of Russian history, portraying the country as a victim of
Western betrayals.Putin defended his decision to invade Ukraine in February 2022
And he said the West now realizes that Russia will not be defeated, despite US, European and NATO help to Ukraine."Up until now, there has
been the uproar and screaming about inflicting a strategic defeat to Russia on the battlefield
But now they are apparently coming to realize that it is difficult to achieve, if possible, at all
In my opinion, it is impossible by definition," he said.He also aimed a message at the United States Congress, where Trump-dominated
Republicans are increasingly reluctant to keep backing Ukraine with weapons and other military aid."I will tell you what we are saying on
this matter and what we are conveying to the United States leadership
If you really want to stop fighting, you need to stop supplying weapons," he said.When asked if Moscow would consider invading other
question.""We have no interest in Poland, Latvia or anywhere else
Why would we do that? We simply don't have any interest
It's just threat-mongering," Putin said.A war with Poland, he said, would happen "only in one case: if Poland attacks Russia."Asked about
a possible change in leadership after the United States election, where Biden is expected to face off against Trump in a rematch of their
2020 contest, Putin indicated he would see little change."You just asked me if another leader comes and changes something? It is not about
the war in "24 hours," though not saying how.By contrast, Biden has branded Putin a "war criminal" and has made backing for Ukraine's
elected, pro-Western government one of the key priorities of his presidency.
