I think you missed the point of this interview. TC says he has been trying for over three years to get an interview, and he had been stymied by the Kremlin up until now.
So why now?
This interview was Putin's one and only chance to speak directly to Western - primarily American - audiences and make his case, tell his side of the story.
As you may recall, the US and EU shut down ALL Russian media outlets within a few hours of the launch of the Russian SMO. All news from Russia is suppressed, and all news regarding Putin is cartoonishly biased and distorted.
In the absence of any balanced reporting, the West has been fed a steady diet of - again, cartoonishly - fawning and positive propaganda about the brave Ukrainians and the brave leader, Zelensky ("the new Churchill").
Imagine - a comic actor who, before getting elected, was best known for playing a piano with his penis had now risen to the dizzying heights of Churchill!
The vacuum surrounding all news from the conflict allowed for all sorts of propaganda fables to be spun. Remember Snake Island? The Ghost of Kiev? The Battle of Kherson? The Battle for Kiev?
That last one is something that Putin finally clarified. We now know — thanks to the interview — that there was a peace treaty on the table, initialed by both sides and ready to sign on 01 April. We know that the French and Germans, the usual guarantors of such treaties, told Putin he needed to withdraw his troops as a “good faith gesture” because Ukraine could not sign the agreement "with a gun to their head".
We know that Putin agreed, and withdrew his troops on April 6.
We know that Boris Johnson appeared unannounced on a surprise visit to Kiev and convinced Zelensky to "bin" the treaty the day after the Russian troops withdrew.
These are all verifiable facts reported by Ukrainian news media, Israeli observers and other eye witnesses. It has even been confirmed by Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary General of NATO.
The conflict could have been over 20 months ago. It was only the West's desire to weaken Russia at all costs that kept the conflict going. That was one of Putin’s primary messages.
