Tucker Carlson is once again in Moscow, Russia.
In February, the last time he was there, his interview with Vladimir Putin caused quite a stir. Leftist media called Tucker a traitor, Kremlin propagandist, and worse.
Carlson and Putin discussed salient topics including the war in Ukraine, the Nord Stream pipeline bombing, and Russia's involvement in Syria.
The interview gave many Americans their first view of Putin talking with an American journalist. On X (formerly Twitter) alone, the interview got 215 million views.
Americans clearly want to hear both sides of this story. Compare Tucker's 215 million views on a single interview to the average number of CNN viewers, which is currently around 268,000, a record low (yet another sign that legacy media is on the way out-good riddance).
The interview with Putin was important because communication between the US and Russia, at all levels, has been practically non-existent. We are in a proxy war with this country which is very close to becoming a direct conflict, and the Biden admin has essentially cut off diplomatic communications with the Kremlin.
The world has rarely, if ever, been closer to nuclear conflict, and we're not even talking with the other party. This is madness.
Tucker's interview with Putin started the process of opening lines of communication up. Even if it's not official, at least some contact is happening.
Communication during times like these is absolutely crucial. It's how JFK and his team defused the Cuban Missile Crisis. Kennedy communicated directly with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and negotiated a reasonable resolution to the conflict. Compromises were made on both sides, and the world dodged nuclear annihilation.
This concept of statesmanship has been completely alien to the current President. Can you even imagine Biden picking up the phone and calling Putin? According to the Washington Post, Trump already spoke with Putin shortly after his election victory. Once President Trump takes over on January 20th, true progress will finally become possible.
Tucker Carlson's next interview in Moscow is set to be another important milestone.
He will soon release an interview with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
(Editorial note: the interview is out now).
Lavrov may be the most influential diplomat in the world today. He's the longest-serving FM in the world and has been in Russia's diplomatic corps for more than 40 years.
Tucker recently teased his upcoming interview on X. Here is a part of his message:
"We felt there must be someone working behind the scenes in Washington working to make sure this conflict doesn't become a nuclear holocaust. But we found out that no, in fact, there is nobody. Tony Blinken, the current Secretary of State, cut off all contact between the US and Russian governments. There is no backchannel, there is no conversation and there hasn't been for more than 2 years. That's shocking."
Tucker went on to say that he discussed "where we are" with Lavrov. This interview should be revealing. And it will set the stage for the Trump administration to begin real negotiations. As we know, Tucker is a close confidant of President Trump. This interview signals significant progress on the road towards defusing the dangerous path the Biden administration has set us on.
Many Americans are no longer buying the one-dimensional idea that the Ukraine war is a simple case of good vs bad. The world is far more complex than that.
The war has reached a point where even the Biden team recognizes that Ukraine recovering all of its lost lands is a lost cause. However, they seem to believe the best result will be achieved by ramping up the war and launching missiles into Russian territory.
The incoming Trump admin has already begun discussions with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy's advisors, as reported this week by the Wall Street Journal.
Trump is likely to portray a tough negotiating stance, as evidenced by his selection of a hawkish special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg. Let us hope it is only posturing, and Trump doesn't intend to continue Biden's disastrous policies.
I continue to believe that Trump will end the war. Let us hope it happens quickly, as every day it goes on means more bad blood between Russia and America.
The Daily Reckoning