EU proposes sanctions against US host Carlson for interview with Putin

Newsweek reported this.

This week Carlson visited Russia to interview Putin, and yesterday, on February 6, he said that he would publish it "soon".

The American host argued that "Most Americans have no idea why Putin invaded Ukraine or what his goals are now".

"We are not here because we love Vladimir Putin....We are not encouraging you to agree with what Putin may say in this interview, but we are urging you to watch it. You should know as much as you can," he said.

Former Belgian Prime Minister and current member of the European Parliament Guy Verhofstadt told Newsweek that the interview with Putin could cause a conflict between the EU and the American host.

"As Putin is a war criminal and the EU sanctions all who assist him in that effort, it seems logical that the External Action Service examine his case as well (against Tucker Carlson - ed.)," he added.

The article explains that in order to add a person to the sanctions list, evidence must be submitted to the EU External Action Service for consideration. If the evidence is found sufficient, the case will be referred to the European Council, a body composed of EU leaders. They will make the final decision on whether to impose restrictions.

"He is no longer a newsman, but a propagandist for the most heinous regime on European soil and the one which is most dangerous to our peace and security," said former MEP Luis Garicano.

Urmas Paet, MEP, reminded that Putin is not only the president of the aggressor state, but also a person wanted by the International Criminal Court. He is also accused of genocide and war crimes. Therefore, it is wrong to "give a platform to someone accused of crimes of genocide".

"If Putin has something to say, he needs to say it in front of the ICC. At the same time Carlson is not being a real journalist since he has clearly expressed his sympathy for the Russian regime and Putin and has constantly disparaged Ukraine, the victim of Russian aggression. So, for such propaganda for a criminal regime, you can end up on the list of sanctions. This concerns primarily travel ban to EU countries," Paet said.

• On 6 February, Tucker Carlson announced an interview with Putin, for which he came to Moscow.