Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed surprise and dissatisfaction in a recent interview with US television journalist Tucker Carlson, criticizing the lack of tough questions that would have allowed him to answer more directly.
Putin told Russian TV journalist Pavel Zarubin that he expects Carlson to take a more active approach.
“To be honest, I assumed he would be pushy and ask so-called pointed questions. “I was not only prepared for this; I wanted it because it would allow me to respond in the same way,” Putin said in remarks televised on Wednesday.
During his first interview with an American journalist since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine over two years ago, Putin used the opportunity to lecture Carlson on history.
Putin expressed astonishment at Carlson’s few interruptions, saying, “Frankly, I did not get full satisfaction from this interview.”
The Kremlin stated that Putin agreed to the Carlson interview because the host took a different perspective to the Ukraine war than many Western news outlets, which they saw as “one-sided” reporting.
Meanwhile, body language experts assessed Putin’s demeanor during the interview. Professor Erik Bucy, a body language expert, noted indicators of discomfort in Putin’s posture, including twitching feet, fidgety hands, and a sagging aspect. Bucy claimed Putin looks “emaciated” and “not completely comfortable in his own skin.”
While another analyst felt Putin appeared “dominant” throughout, Bucy emphasized Putin’s uneasiness in contrast to the easy demeanor of the American TV commentator.”Putin does not sit as comfortably as Carlson, nor does he show as much bodily discipline,” Bucy stated, citing Putin’s foot circling as a probable symptom of anxiousness or physical discomfort.
