In a recent turn of events, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reportedly declined an interview with Tucker Carlson, the erstwhile Fox News presenter, due to the latter's refusal to pay a $1 million fee, as per multiple reports.
Carlson, in a conversation with Glenn Beck of The Blaze, revealed that Johnson had demanded a hefty sum for the interview, following Carlson's interaction with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "I put in a request for an interview with Boris Johnson as I have many times because hes constantly denouncing me as a tool of the Kremlin," Carlson stated, recounting his attempts to secure an interview with Johnson.
According to Carlson, an advisor to Johnson eventually responded, stating, "He will talk to you, but its going to cost you a million dollars." Johnson's preferred modes of payment were reportedly "U.S. dollars, gold, or bitcoin."
Carlson contrasted Johnson's demand with his experience interviewing Putin, who did not request any payment. "Im not defending Putin, but Putin didnt ask for a million dollars! So, youre telling me that Boris Johnson is a lot sleazier, a lot lower than Vladimir Putin! Which is true! So this whole thing is a freaking shakedown!" Carlson exclaimed.
In his conversation with Beck, Carlson also accused Johnson of being instrumental in thwarting a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia. "This is, by the way, the guy who single-handedly at the request of the U.S. government stopped the peace deal in Ukraine a year and a half ago. And is, I think, for that reason responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people," Carlson asserted.
He further criticized the $60 billion in Ukraine funding from the U.S. as a "money laundering operation" and lambasted Johnson and others for the "really immoral" act of "making money off of war."
However, The Guardian reports that Johnson's representatives have refuted the claim that the former prime minister demanded a million dollars. They allege that it was Carlson who proposed the million-dollar payment for the meeting, and had Johnson accepted such a substantial fee, he would have donated it to "charities for Ukrainian veterans."
Johnson has been a vocal critic of Carlson, recently branding him "a traitor to journalism" for interviewing Putin. He accused Carlson of betraying "viewers and listeners around the world" by not holding Putin accountable for "the torture, the rapes, the blowing-up of kindergartens" in Ukraine, as reported by The Guardian.
During his interview with Carlson, Putin also accused Johnson of sabotaging a peace deal. The Russian President claimed that a "huge document" outlining peace had been approved by the head of the Ukrainian delegation, but Johnson "dissuaded" Ukraines president Volodymyr Zelenskyy from accepting the terms, according to The Independent. Johnson has denied these accusations, as noted by The Guardian.
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