Vladimir Putin expressed confusion to Tucker Carlson that the United States would work to secure the release of a basketball player but not a spy.
Posted by The Bulwark Daily, Checked
- Sources
- 5 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 30%
The Bulwark DailySep 29, 2026
No source reports Putin telling Carlson he was confused that the US would work harder to recover a basketball player than a spy; the claim comes from the post's own account of a post-interview Kremlin tour.
What was said
… And maybe, you know, you know, they cynically set him up, which I think they still did. You know, I do think they still cynically set me up. The Tucker thing was interesting. I think Putin was really confused, and after their interview, they, you know, Putin was giving him a tour of the Kremlin, and he he said that he was confused that the US. Would work so hard to get back a basketball player, but not a spy. And Tucker, at that point, sort of, you know, it was a similar sort of situation where it's like, if you if you read the story through our lens, well, obviously they're working hard to get a journalist back, as, you know, what's important to our society, …
The Bulwark Daily · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Context. Carlson's February 2024 interview with Putin pressed for the release of WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich, and Putin said a deal could be reached if the US took reciprocal steps.[1][2][3]
Context. The transcript shows Carlson arguing that Gershkovich was not a superspy, but it does not contain the basketball-player-versus-spy confusion remark attributed to Putin.[4]
Context. A 2026 Meduza report on Gershkovich's memoir describes Putin's insistence to a world leader that Gershkovich was a spy, and says Carlson confirmed Putin believed this; it does not mention a basketball-player comparison or a Kremlin-tour remark.[5]
Context. The claim's wording (a post-interview Kremlin tour remark) departs from the interview coverage, and the only support for it is the claimant's own passage, which cannot corroborate it.
Sources
5 sources: 1 fact-checker, 1 tier 1, 1 tier 2, 2 not rated
- 1Putin tells Tucker Carlson Russia has no interest in wider warreuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
- 2What do Vladimir Putin and Tucker Carlson gain from Moscow interview?bbc.com · tier 1 · cited for: context
- 3Tucker Carlson interviewed Russian President Vladimir Putinnbcnews.com · tier 2 · cited for: context
- 4Full Transcript: Putin and Carlson, Kremlin Interview (February 6, 2024)petersworld.org · not rated · cited for: context
- 5‘He’s an idiot.’ Evan Gershkovich says Putin spent more than an hour trying to convince a world leader that the WSJ reporter really was a spy. — Meduzameduza.io · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
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