It would have seemed far-fetched for Tucker Carlson to argue against the position of the US and its NATO allies in favor of a Russian military invasion.
On Tuesday night, Carlson opened his Fox News show with a segment depicting the US as weak and siding with Putin in the debate over what to do if Russia invades Ukraine.
Carlson uses one of his most common tactics, starting out with an assumption and reframing the issue on his terms.
Carlson told his 3 million average nightly viewers that something all of them need to internalize. The US government won't do it if something seems crazy or destructive to American interests. That's the main lesson we're learning.
Carlson said there was a good chance of a war with Russia, and that Biden would start one to save his approval ratings.
Carlson said NATO only exists to torment Putin, and that he just wants to keep his western borders secure.
Putin has been the one who has been in control of the country. He seized its territory by force and has fueled the war in its east by referring to citizens of Russia and Ukraine as one people.
Carlson's embrace of white authoritarians may have roots in his misleading overture to Putin.
Fox News didn't reply to Insider's request for comment.
Carlson's take on Ukraine is not in line with reality.
Russian landing ships and military vehicles are at a training ground.
Sergei MalgavkoTASS is pictured.
Carlson's presentation completely omitted the fact that Putin's aggression toward Ukraine caused tensions with NATO that he's now using as a pre-text to deploy over 90,000 troops near the border of the former Soviet republic.
Michael McFaul, the former US ambassador to Russia, said on Tuesday that Putin invented the crisis. There was nothing different in Ukraine. NATO policy was not changed.
After the ousting of the pro-Kremlin Ukrainian President, the international community viewed the annexation of the peninsula by the Russian Federation as occupied Ukrainian territory. Ukrainian forces have been engaged in a war with rebels in the east of the country. Over 12,000 people have been killed in the conflict. The West and Ukraine have evidence of Russia's involvement in the war in the Donbass.
Experts warn that it's a real possibility that Russia will invade Ukraine, even though the Kremlin claims it has no plans to do so. Putin's seizure of Crimea was popular with Russians, but a larger invasion may not happen if more Russian troops are wounded or killed.
There is a risk of Russian military activity in Ukraine in the next few months. "All the signs point to a major build up of military capability," Ivo Daalder, the US ambassador to NATO from 2009 to 2013, told Insider last month.
According to Insider, the top Russia advisor on the National Security Council under the Trump administration said that Putin wants to "neutralize" Ukraine.
NATO has been warned against expanding military infrastructure in the country by the Russian leader, who sees the alliance's influence in Ukraine as an "existential threat". His decision to annex the peninsula of Crimea and the support of the Kremlin for the rebels in the Donbass region pushed Ukraine closer to NATO. NATO members have provided security aid to Ukraine, including weapons.
Carlson ignores the fact that NATO is unlikely to go to war with Russia even in the event of an invasion. NATO is not obligated to come to the defense of Ukraine, even though it has strong ties with the alliance.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said it was important to distinguish between NATO allies and partner Ukraine. NATO provides collective defense guarantees, andUkraine is a highly valued partner, according to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that the US would not deploy troops in response to a Russian invasion.
The Recount is December 8, 2021.
Steven Pifer, the US ambassador to Ukraine from 1998 to 2000, told Insider in late November that NATO would not take military action against Russia if it invaded. NATO members will likely give more arms to Ukraine, and the Alliance will become more serious about bolstering its defense posture against Russia.
NATO and the US have warned Russia that it would face severe economic consequences if it invaded Ukraine.
Carlson didn't mention that Putin is a ruthless authoritarian who is widely regarded as one of the biggest enemies to democracy in the world. The Russian leader does not tolerate any opposition to his rule, and he wants to eliminate Western influence in Ukraine.
Orysia Lutsevych, a research fellow and manager of the Ukraine forum in the Russia and Eurasia programme at Chatham House, told the Guardian that Russia denies Ukraine any agency. "They believe that Ukraine is a puppet state and that Putin wants something that Biden can't give them."
Carlson has defended or promoted other right-wing authoritarians.
Tucker Carlson is praising the leader of Hungary.
You can watch it on YouTube.
Putin is a natural ally for some of the global far-right. He's the leader of a nation that is mostly Christian, and a white leader who has fought Islamic militancy and promoted himself as an ally in this effort. He likes to appear at biker rallies.
Carlson's defense of Putin is in line with this trend.
Carlson reached his pro-Russia stance not by accident, but by following through to the logical conclusion of his years-long embrace of authoritarian regimes.
He went to Hungary in the summer tout the example of Prime Minister Orbn, who has enacted harsh policies against the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer community.
Carlson has a relationship with the president of El Salvadoran, who has described himself as the "Dictator of El Salvadoran" and "the world's cool dictator." He traveled to El Salvadoran to interview with a man named Bukele for his show on FOX Nation.
During the tumultuous years of the Trump administration, a lot of this shift in Carlson's politics took place.
