Fox News Host Tucker Carlson has made clear his condemnation of the Russian president Vladimir Putin on Thursday night, after ostensibly defending the despot before invading Ukraine.
Carlson called on the United States not to intervene in the war Ukraineinstead, he said the West should use this as an opportunity to become less dependent on Russian gas.
“Vladimir Putin started this war, so regardless of the context of the decision he made, he did it. He fired the first shots. He is to blame for what we see tonight in Ukraine, “Carlson said on his Tucker show Carlson Tonight.
His comments came just two days after he raised his eyebrows, asking what exactly Putin had done to the United States and condemning the Biden administration for portraying the Russian president as a “godfather.”
Carlson said Thursday night that it was “obvious” that Putin was responsible for the violence in Ukraine before asking how the United States should react.
Fox News presenter Tucker Carlson made clear his condemnation of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday night
Now that the shooting has started in Ukraine, it is quite possible that, whatever they tell you, the Americans will be hurt. Preventing this will require wisdom, foresight and emotional control – all of which are in short supply in Washington, especially now. pic.twitter.com/VcfWVvQR6M
– Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) February 25, 2022
The Fox News host listed three goals he said the United States should pursue: avoiding participation in a “full-scale war with an armed nuclear adversary”, maintaining the flow of cheap energy despite Russia’s control over most European gas, and ” protection of the US dollar. “
“Now this shooting has started in Ukraine. It is entirely possible, no matter what they assure you, that Americans may be hurt. Preventing this will require wisdom, foresight and emotional control – all of which are in short supply in Washington, especially now, “he said.
Carlson outlined fears that many experts are discussing, namely that Russia could provoke what is called Article 5 on NATO. According to Article 5, “Every NATO country, including ours, the United States, will be obliged to declare war on Russia,” Carlson said.
Carlson criticized Representative Adam Kinzinger for saying that Russia’s seizure of Chernobyl could trigger Article 5. Other reasons for Article 5 would be if Russia launches a cyber attack on Ukraine, which affects the infrastructure of the rest of Europe.
Carlson called on the United States not to intervene in the war in Ukraine, two days after he was criticized for belittling Putin’s actions against Ukraine when asked what the Russian despot had done to the United States
Carlson said the West should use this as an opportunity to become less dependent on Russian gas. Above can be seen firefighters reacting to a fire in a residential building in Kiev in the early hours of Friday
Kiev was on fire in the early hours of Friday. Adviser to the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs Anton Gerashenko shared on social networks footage of a fire in the Darnytskyi district of Kiev, in the southeastern part of the city on the left bank of the Dnieper River
Carlson said world leaders must “stop very deep” to consider whether Russia’s action is “something worth risking a nuclear conflict?”
“This is the first goal that doesn’t do much, much worse,” he said. “Here’s the second goal, keep the flow of energy.”
“Cheap energy, we take it for granted, but it is the basis of everything we have. No energy, no civilization. Unfortunately, a huge percentage of European energy now comes from Russia and Ukraine.
Carlson noted that the European Union relies on Russia for 40% of its natural gas, and Germany, one of the world’s largest economies, relies on about half of its natural gas.
“The fact is that Vladimir Putin has the power to send Europe and the United States, potentially, into an economic depression on this issue. “Putin has the power to turn off the light,” Carlson said.
Instead of relying on Russia for energy, Carlson said the West should embrace nuclear energy. “But our leaders, not just ours, but globally across the West, have done the opposite,” he said.
“Due to a series of very specific emergency decisions, the West is now dangerously dependent on Vladimir Putin for energy. Our leaders can behave in such a way that this is not a big deal. It is definitely a big job and we have to make decisions based on that fact, “he concluded.
Shells are seen falling from the sky over Kiev in the early hours of Friday
A Russian plane crashed near Voronezh on Thursday due to technical damage, which is considered technical. Everyone on board died – it is not clear how many
Finally, Carlson said that the last priority for the United States is to protect its currency and said that “controlling the US dollar is the key to our wealth.”
“Our entire debt-financed economy is based on the unique privilege of issuing the world’s reserved currency. If the US dollar is ever replaced, we are in legitimate trouble. “Our debt will pay off, our government will go bankrupt, and millions of Americans will immediately become impoverished.”
Carlson said sanctions imposed by the Biden administration should be used with caution because they may not always work and “at the same time, sanctions give Russia and many other countries around the world a strong incentive to throw away the US dollar.”
Carlson’s comments condemning Putin come two days after he prosecuted the Biden administration and the mainstream media for its attacks on Putin.
Carlson denounced Putin’s attempts to turn him into a “god-boy”, wondering out loud what he had done to the United States, although only a day earlier he had called Putin and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky “tyrants.”
“Since the day Donald Trump became president, Democrats in Washington have told you that you have a patriotic duty to hate Vladimir Putin,” Carlson said in his top-rated cable show, Tucker Carlson Tonight, on Tuesday. “This is not a proposal, but a mandate. Anything less than hatred of Putin is treason.
Carlson showed disregard for the possibility of the United States being drawn into a war because of these anti-Putin sentiments.
“Before that happens, it might be worth asking ourselves – since it’s getting quite serious – what is it really about?”
The host then published a long list of potential American problems and complaints for which Putin is not responsible.
“Why do I hate Putin so much? Has Putin ever called me a racist? Did he threaten to fire me because I disagreed with him? Did he send every middle-class job to my city in Russia? Did he create a global pandemic that shattered my business and kept me indoors for two years? Does he teach my children to accept racial discrimination? Does fentanyl do? Is he trying to destroy Christianity? Does he eat dogs? These are fair questions and everyone’s answer is no. Vladimir Putin has done none of this.
Joe Biden announced more sanctions against Russia, but warned that the conflict could last for many months and opposed calls to send US troops to Ukraine, saying he had no plans to talk to Vladimir Putin.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian capital was bombed in the early hours of Friday, with skies blazing as Vladimir Putin’s tanks moved within 20 miles of Kiev.
The Deputy Ministry of Defense of Ukraine said that a missile was fired from the sky by their missile defense systems.
Another rocket hit a residential building in the city, the government said.
A Ukrainian plane, a SU-27, was shot down by a surface-to-air missile in a separate incident, the Ukrainian government said.
The country has 125 combat-ready aircraft, including 4th generation Sukhoi Su-27 and Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter jets, according to the Military Balance 2021. Russia has more than 1,500 combat aircraft.
Adviser to the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs Anton Gerashenko shared on social media footage of a fire in the Darnytskyi district of Kiev, in the southeastern part of the city on the left bank of the Dnieper River.
It is unclear whether the fire in Darnytskyi was caused by a downed Ukrainian plane or Russian missiles.
Hours earlier, President Vladimir Zelensky was furious with Western cowards who failed to come to his aid, saying his country was “left alone” to stand up to Russian troops.