Putin, in rare US interview, says Russia has no interest in wider war

Putin said in an interview aired on Thursday that Russia will fight for its interests "to the end" but has no interest in expanding its war in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during an interview with US television host Tucker Carlson in Moscow, Russia, February 6, 2024, in this still image taken from video released February

Russian President VladimirPutinsaid in aninterviewthat aired on Thursday that Russia will fight for itsinterests "to the end" buthasnointerestin expanding itswarin Ukraine to other countries such as Poland and Latvia.

In his firstinterviewwith an American journalist since before Russia's invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago,Putinsaid Western leaders had come to realise it was impossibletoinflict a strategic defeat on Russia and were wondering what to do next.

"We are ready for this dialogue," he said.

Putinalso said he believed it was possible to reach an agreement to free US journalist Evan Gershkovichof the Wall Street Journal, whohasbeen detained in Russia for nearly a year and is awaiting trial on spying charges.

Putinmade the comments in a more than two-hourinterviewwith conservative talk-show host Tucker Carlson that was conducted in Moscow on Tuesday and aired on tuckercarlson.com.

Asked if he could imagine a scenario in which he would send Russian troops to Poland, a NATO member,Putinreplied:

"Only in one case, if Poland attacks Russia. Why? Because we have nointerestin Poland, Latvia or anywhere else. Why would we do that? We simply don't have anyinterest."

Putinspoke in Russian and his remarks were dubbed into English. He began with lengthy remarks about Russia's relations with Ukraine, Poland and other countries.

Putindevoted a substantial part of theinterviewto complaining that Ukraine had been on the verge of agreeing a deal to end hostilities at talks in Istanbul in April 2022, but backed away, he said, once Russian troops withdrew from near Kyiv.

"Well now let them think how to reverse the situation," he said. "We're not against it. It would be funny if it were not so sad that. This endless mobilisation in Ukraine, the hysteria, the domestic problems, sooner or later it will result in an agreement."

The Russian leader said the US had pressing domestic issues to worry about. "Wouldn't it be better to negotiate with Russia? Make an agreement. Already understanding the situation that is developing today, realizing that Russia will fight for itsinterests to the end,"Putinsaid.

Washington,whichhassent Ukraine more than $110 billion in aid since Russia invaded in February 2022,hasmade clear ithasnointerestin talking onPutin's terms

Putinwas last formallyinterviewed by a US media outlet in October 2021, when CNBC's Hadley Gamble spoke to him.

The Carlsoninterviewcame as US lawmakers debate whether to provide more money for Ukraine'swareffort. It also aired the same day as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy replaced the popular armychief with his ground forces commander.

A procedural vote in the US Senate helped advancea bill that includes $61 billion in new funds for Ukraine, but it faces uncertainty in the Republican-dominated House of Representatives where dozens of members, particularly those closely allied with former President Donald Trump, have voted against Ukraine aid.

PROGRESS IN JOURNALIST'S CASE

Putinsaid Russian and American special services were discussing the Gershkovich case and had made some progress.

Putinsuggested that in return, Moscow wanted Germany to free Vadim Krasikov, who was convicted of the 2019 murder of a Chechen dissident in Berlin, although he did not mention Krasikov by name.

"There have been many successful examples of these talks crowned with success,"Putinsaid."Probably this is going to be crowned with success as well but we have to come to an agreement."

Russia and the United States have agreed high-profile prisoner swaps in the past - most recently in December 2022 when Moscow traded Brittney Griner, a US basketball star convicted of a drugs offence in Russia - for Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout.

The Kremlin saidPutinagreed to the Carlsoninterviewbecause the approach of the former Fox News host differed from the "one-sided" reporting of the Ukraine conflict by many Western news outlets.

Carlson is considered to have close connections to Trump, who is expected to be the Republican Party candidate in the November US presidential election.

Complaining about the billions of dollars in aid sent to Kyiv so far, Trumphas called for de-escalationof thewarin Ukraine, in which the Biden administrationhasstrongly backed the Zelenskiy government.

For his part, Carlsonhassaid much Western media coverage of thewaris biased in Kyiv's favor.