‘He’s welcome here’: The Kremlin ‘wooed Tucker Carlson to Russia to spite Biden’, Russian sources claim as ex-Fox News host is seen heading to Presidential office in Moscow amid rumors he is set to interview Putin

The Kremlin has “wooed” former Fox News star Tucker Carlson to Russia to “resist Biden,” according to a new report.

Carlson was photographed and recorded in Moscow this week, amid rumors that he is there to become the first Western media figure to interview Vladimir Putin since the invasion of Ukraine began.

The Moscow Times now reports that Putin’s government organized the meeting as part of a ‘propaganda coup’ against the US.

Carlson, 54, was regularly accused of covering pro-Russian talking points on his Fox News show. Since his acrimonious firing, Carlson has interviewed a range of figures about his new broadcast on X, including Russell Brand, Andrew Tate and Ice Cube.

‘Tucker has been expected here for a long time. He is welcome here. Now everyone in the presidential administration has rolled up their sleeves and is working together,” an unnamed source told the Moscow Times.

Meanwhile, Russian media figure Alexei Venediktov wrote on X: “From what I understand, Tucker Carlson got what he wanted.”

Images of Carlson shared by Russian media led many to believe he could be the first Western journalist to interview Putin since Ukraine’s invasion of Ukraine

Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson (center), 54, was spotted in the Russian capital during a performance of Spartacus at the Bolshoi Theater, according to Russian media.

On X, Russian media figure Alexei Venediktov wrote: “From what I understand, Tucker Carlson got what he wanted.

‘Even without an interview, Carlson’s arrival is already a big advantage for the boss (Putin). Look what kind of reaction we’re already seeing across the ocean. Tucker has a huge audience in the US,” another source told the Moscow Times.

Another joked that Carlson’s options in Russia were “an interview or (to) the front lines of the Donbas.”

“The chief (Putin) will win the election without Tucker’s help. Access to an American audience through Carlson during the heated battle between Biden and Trump is yet another opportunity to exert that proverbial influence on the American elections, given Carlson’s enormous audience,” a Kremlin official told The Moscow Times.

Carlson kept his cards close to his chest on Monday after Russian media showed photos of him in several places in Moscow, including in a box at the Bolshoi Theater and while he was eating at a hotel.

“It’s beautiful,” Carlson said of Moscow in an interview broadcast by the Izvestia newspaper. “I just wanted to see it because, you know, I’ve read so much about it, but I’ve never seen it before.”

When asked if he was in Moscow to interview Putin, Carlson said, “We’ll see,” and smiled.

The former MSNBC host, 54, reportedly arrived in the capital on February 1 and was spotted attending a Spartacus performance at the Bolshoi Theater.

In 2021, Carlson claimed that the National Security Agency began “spying” on him after he said he was trying to interview Putin.

Carlson said his communications were intercepted by the NSA, and his identity — which by law should have remained secret — was “exposed” by top intelligence officials. Carlson claimed that the contents of his emails and text messages were then disseminated in an attempt to discredit him.

His claims have not been confirmed.

The Kremlin has also refused to confirm that Putin would sit down with the American podcaster.

A statement said: “We can hardly be expected to provide information about the movement of foreign journalists… Many foreign journalists come to Russia every day, many continue to work here, and we are happy about this.”

“We have nothing to announce regarding the president’s interviews with foreign media.”