Boris Johnson declines Tucker Carlson interview following Navalny's death

Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has declined an interview with American host Tucker Carlson after the death of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, The Guardian reported on Feb. 21.

Carlson extended the invitation after becoming “annoyed” that Johnson had denounced him as a Kremlin stooge after his controversial interview with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, the American propagandist said.

Read also: Tucker Carlson’s interview with Vladimir Putin echos propaganda of past Moscow fellow-travelers

Carlson claimed that Johnson demanded $1 million but this was rejected as untrue by Johnson’s camp, who said the sum was offered by Carlson and the former Prime Minister would have given the money to charities for Ukrainian veterans.

"I’m not defending Putin, but Putin didn’t ask for $1 million… This whole thing is a freaking shakedown," Carlson said.

Johnson’s spokesperson refuted the story as untrue.

Read also: The Putin interview showed weakness

Johnson evidently decided not to proceed with the interview following the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, widely blamed on the Kremlin, the publication writes.

“It is the latest flare-up in a row between the pair after Johnson used his Daily Mail column to brand Carlson ‘a traitor to journalism’ for his interview with the Russian President,” said The Guardian.

Carlson betrayed “viewers and listeners around the world” for not taking Putin to task for “the torture, the rapes, the blowing-up of kindergartens” in Ukraine, Johnson said.

In an interview with Carlson, Putin said that Johnson allegedly "helped to disrupt the deal" aimed at ending the war. However, this claim was denied by both Johnson and senior Ukrainian officials.

Read also: Russian Volunteer Corps reveals foiled plan to free Navalny and send him to Ukraine

Russian authorities announced the death of 47-year-old opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Feb. 16. Since the end of 2023, he had been serving his sentence in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug in the Russian Far North.

Navalny's team confirmed his death the next day.

Carlson's interview with Putin, published on Feb. 9 and lasting over two hours, saw Putin citing "copies of letters from Bohdan Khmelnytsky" to the Russian Tsar as justification for his attack, accusing Ukraine of refusing to negotiate.

Carlson, who left Fox News in April 2023, launched his own show on social media. He has repeatedly spread false information and Russian propaganda about Ukraine and the ongoing war. Detector Media has referred to him as "the American Solovyov" for his appearances on Kremlin propaganda channels.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine