Tucker Carlson has backed Russia's argument that NATO enlargement was behind the current Ukraine crisis and accused the media of stoking tensions that could lead to an "incredibly destructive war with Russia."
In a segment on Tuesday, the Fox News anchor introduced a clip in which MSNBC host Joe Scarborough demanded the Biden administration speak "more clearly and more aggressively" against Russia as concerns grow over its build-up of more than 100,000 troops on Ukraine's border.
After the clip, Carlson mocked Scarborough, saying that "people that do that should not have TV shows and they certainly shouldn't be weighing in on adult topics like war and peace, but they are."
"So you have to ask yourself, why is this happening? Why are the Russians so upset? Why are we moving towards some kind of conflict?" Carlson said.
The Fox News anchor continued, "over a number of different administrations, the United States government has pushed Ukraine to join NATO."
"Imagine if Mexico fell under the direct military control of China, we would see that as a threat of course. That's how Russia views NATO control of Ukraine. Why wouldn't they?
"We don't get anything out of pushing Ukraine into NATO so why are we doing this?" he added.
In fact, the U.S. is not pushing for Ukraine to join NATO and membership of the 30-member alliance, in any case, requires unanimous consent and has previously been opposed by France and Germany.
However, the U.S. has described as "non-starters" Russia's demands for the alliance to roll back its presence in eastern Europe and a guarantee that Ukraine never become a member.
Carlson's comparison of the Ukraine crisis with what might happen near the U.S. borders has been made before.
"Imagine how we would feel if Mexico and Canada became satellites of China," he said in December, 2021. "In Russia's case, this is an existential question." In that segment, which had a caption saying Putin was trying to "secure" his country's western borders, Carlson accused President Joe Biden of risking a "hot war."
On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told American embassy staff in Kyiv that "there are plans in place" for Russia to increase its military force by its border with Ukraine "on very short notice."
"This is a critical time for Ukraine," Blinken said according to CNN.
Russia says it has no plans for an invasion although tensions have been spiked after Russian troops were deployed to neighboring Belarus for joint military exercises.
Talks between Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are scheduled for Friday as hopes fade of a diplomatic breakthrough.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Brendan Cole is a Newsweek Senior News Reporter based in London, UK. His focus is Russia and Ukraine, in particular ... Read more
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