プーチン氏「ロシア打破は不可能」 米右派司会者がインタビュー

【ワシントンＡＦＰ＝時事】ロシアのウラジーミル・プーチン大統領は、８日に公開された米右派テレビ司会者タッカー・カールソン氏によるインタビューで、ウクライナでロシアを打ち破ることは「不可能」だと西側諸国は理解すべきだと述べた。（写真はロシアのプーチン大統領＜左＞と米右派テレビ司会者タッカー・カールソン氏）
　ウクライナ侵攻開始から、今月２２日で丸２年が経過する。プーチン氏はモスクワのクレムリン（ロシア大統領府）で６日、米保守系テレビ局ＦＯＸニュースの看板司会者だったカールソン氏による２時間に及ぶインタビューに応じた。西側メディアによるプーチン氏への一対一のインタビューは、２０１９年以来初めて。
　プーチン氏はウクライナ侵攻について、米欧や北大西洋条約機構（ＮＡＴＯ）がウクライナを支援してもロシアの敗北はないということに、西側諸国はもはや気づいているはずだとの考えを示した。
　ＮＡＴＯ加盟国のポーランドやラトビアなど、ウクライナ以外の国々や欧州大陸全体への侵攻を考えるかとの質問に対しては、「問題外」であり、「他のどこにも関心はない」と回答。ポーランドとの戦争が起こるとすれば、「ポーランドがロシアを攻撃した場合に限られる」と話した。
　またプーチン氏は、米国の政権および議会に対するメッセージとして、「ウクライナ紛争を本気で終結させたいのならば、武器供与をやめなければならない」と述べた。
　米国で１１月に行われる大統領選は、ジョー・バイデン現大統領とドナルド・トランプ前大統領の再対戦になると予想されているが、トランプ氏が主導する共和党はウクライナ支援にますます消極的になっている。
　政権交代の可能性について問われたプーチン氏は、「別の指導者が来れば、何かが変わるかって？ それは指導者の問題でも、ある特定の誰かの人格の問題でもない」と述べ、選挙結果にかかわらず大差はないとの見通しを示唆した。
　インタビューを行ったカールソン氏は、トランプ氏との親しい関係が知られている。トランプ氏は大統領時代、そしてバイデン氏に敗れてからもプーチン氏を繰り返し称賛し、ウクライナ侵攻も非難しなかった。
　対照的にバイデン氏はプーチン氏を「戦争犯罪人」と呼び、自身の政権の最優先事項の一つとして、民主的に選ばれたウクライナの親欧米政権への支援継続を掲げている。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2024/02/09-21:06）

President Vladimir Putin said in an interview released Thursday with controversial right-wing US talk show host Tucker Carlson that the West should understand it is impossible to defeat Russia in Ukraine.
In a two-hour interview with the former Fox News host -- coming just ahead of the two-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine -- Putin also said a deal can be reached on imprisoned Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.
There are certain terms being discussed via special services channels, he said, while insisting that the reporter is a spy -- something the Journal and US government vehemently deny.
It was the first one-on-one interview of Putin by someone from the Western media since 2019.
However Carlson, who is close to White House candidate and former president Donald Trump, asked few tough questions and largely listened while the Kremlin leader lectured him on his views of Russian history, portraying the country as a victim of Western betrayals.
Putin defended his decision to invade Ukraine in February 2022. And he said the West now realizes that Russia will not be defeated, despite US, European and NATO help to Ukraine.
Up until now, there has been the uproar and screaming about inflicting a strategic defeat to Russia on the battlefield. But now they are apparently coming to realize that it is difficult to achieve, if possible, at all. In my opinion, it is impossible by definition, he said.
He also aimed a message at the US Congress, where Trump-dominated Republicans are increasingly reluctant to keep backing Ukraine with weapons and other military aid.
I will tell you what we are saying on this matter and what we are conveying to the US leadership. If you really want to stop fighting, you need to stop supplying weapons, he said.
When asked if Moscow would consider invading other countries in the region -- NATO members Poland and Latvia -- or generally across the European continent, Putin said that was out of the question.
We have no interest in Poland, Latvia or anywhere else. Why would we do that? We simply don't have any interest. It's just threat mongering, Putin said.
A war with Poland, he said, would happen only in one case: if Poland attacks Russia.
Asked about a possible change in leadership after the US election, where Biden is expected to face off against Trump in a rematch of their 2020 contest, Putin indicated he would see little change.
You just asked me if another leader comes and changes something? It is not about the leader. It is not about the personality of a particular person.
Facing Putin in matching white chairs with a small table between them, Carlson rarely pushed back in his interview in an ornate room at the Kremlin -- recorded Tuesday and posted on Carlson's own website -- and did not challenge Putin over his relationship with Trump.
While president and since being defeated by Biden, Trump has repeatedly praised Putin and failed to condemn the invasion of Ukraine -- saying that if he was reelected he would be able to solve the war in 24 hours, though not saying how.
By contrast, Biden has branded Putin a war criminal and has made backing for Ukraine's elected, pro-Western government one of the key priorities of his presidency.