Tucker Carlson interviewed Lavrov: what statements did the Russian minister make?

American journalist and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson conducted an interview with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry made a series of controversial statements – certainly not as extreme as his leader, President Vladimir Putin, but still filled with loud propaganda rhetoric.

The interview was published on Carlson's personal website. Among Lavrov's epic claims is the assertion that there is allegedly a "hybrid war" being waged between the U.S. and Russia, suggesting that after nearly three years of conflict in Ukraine, Russians still cannot accept that they are being fought by regular Ukrainians, not "American mercenaries" or "NATO instructors of color."

Here are some additional points discussed by the Russian minister with the American journalist:

• According to Lavrov, Moscow is "protecting Ukrainians." However, he seemed ashamed to explain from what they are being "protected" and how this "protection" aligns with mass killings of civilians.
• The Russian "Nutcracker" is supposedly a "message" to the U.S. and Ukraine; an attempt to intimidate and show that the Russian regime is willing to use any means necessary to prevent the West from inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia. However, Lavrov had to acknowledge that Washington and the West generally ignored the threat, so he quickly claimed that this was merely a "test launch," and there will be more "messages" (essentially announcing new terrorist acts against Ukraine).
• Russia, Lavrov stated, "hates" even the thought of a nuclear war with the United States. However, the minister struggled to explain how this aligns with the constant calls from Russian propagandists to turn the U.S. and Europe into "nuclear ash" and the aggressive changes in Russia's nuclear doctrine.
• According to Lavrov, Russia supposedly does not intend to destroy the Ukrainian people — they are, he claims, Russian "brothers and sisters."
• Traditionally, the Russian minister also voiced what the Kremlin and Putin want: Ukraine should not be a member of NATO, should not have an army, should not possess military bases, and should not conduct exercises with foreign troops on its territory.
• Furthermore, he stated that Ukraine must recognize the Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, and Donetsk regions as parts of Russia.
• In conclusion, Lavrov made several statements asserting that the Russian language, Russian culture, and the Russian church should be protected in Ukraine – thus, part of the interview simply disseminated standard narratives of Russian propaganda.

At the same time, Lavrov's cynicism is striking: when asked by Carlson how many people have died in the war, the Russian minister compared civilian deaths in Ukraine and in the Gaza Strip, referring to the former as a "tragedy" and the latter as a "catastrophe." He did not want to discuss the losses of Russian soldiers in Ukraine for obvious reasons.

Recall that earlier, "Telegraph" reported that earlier this year, an interview between Tucker Carlson and Vladimir Putin was released. In the West, this conversation was assessed, but not quite in the way Carlson and Putin had hoped.