During the broadcast of Sunday Evening With Vladimir Solovyov on Russian state TV, host Vladimir Solovyov proudly announced that he recently traveled to Damascus to interview President of Syria Bashar al-Assad to get his advice about how to interact with “crazed capitalist Western regimes” and “how to combat their lies.” After years of pleading for the attention of the fired Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Solovyov was able to snag the next best thing by interviewing Assad.
Unable to get his mind off Carlson’s ill-fated interview, Solovyov asked Assad for his prediction as to the outcome of the U.S. elections: “I’ll ask the same question that Tucker Carlson asked Putin: Biden or Trump?” Assad opined, “The analysis of the media and other information shows that Trump will win, but I always say that American presidents resemble one another.” He proceeded to assert that the unnamed figures behind the scenes—and not the U.S. presidents—determine the country’s politics.
During the interview, irony died a thousand painful deaths, as Russia’s most notorious propagandist, known for his hypocrisy, lies and nuclear threats, joined the butcher of Syria, known for committing war crimes and repeatedly lying about his actions. Disregarding Assad’s notorious use of chemical weapons against his own people, Solovyov claimed that the Syrian people “have freely made their choice.”
The Russian host alleged that the world is standing on the precipice of potential nuclear apocalypse, claiming that the United States and Israel are likely to be the first to use nuclear weapons against Iran.
Several times, Solovyov unsuccessfully attempted to extract the condemnation of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack against Israel. Taking a page out of Putin’s book, Assad insisted that it’s impossible to discuss that event without delving deep into the history of Israel and Palestine—the way Putin had to educate Carlson on Rurik’s exploits during their talk. The Syrian dictator made no secret of his inspiration for this approach. Assad asked, “Can you separate the war in Ukraine from a historical evolution? Can you describe Russia’s efforts of reunification with the Southern territories without delving into history? Can you separate these efforts from history? All the present is inextricably tied to the past.”
Quoting an unnamed commentator, Solovyov pondered why Russia, with a population of only 150 million, were not afraid to go against the entire NATO, but several billion Muslims can’t defend their Palestinian brothers. He asked, “Why won’t the Arab countries take the steps that would seem justified and necessary, in order to stop the bloody slaughter in Gaza?” Solovyov’s concern was most likely motivated by the well-known talking point among Russian experts, who believe that a wider escalation in the Middle East would distract the U.S. and allies from Ukraine. Assad disappointed him by bemoaning the lack of unity among Arab countries, coupled with strong Western influence in the region.
Solovyov asserted, “The West is constantly lying! This is why we see what is now happening in Ukraine not as our war against Ukraine. For us, this is a holy war and a religious war. We are confronted by Satanism, by the evil in its purest form. Everything that is rejected by our culture and our faith.”
Solovyov then made a comparison that was more damning than exculpatory, by aligning the global condemnation of Assad for his regime’s use of chemical weapons in 2017 with the Bucha massacre in Ukraine. The host stressed, “Our people don’t believe it. The Syrian people don’t believe it. They came out and supported you. Our people came out and supported our Supreme Commander.” In a truly grotesque moment, Solovyov asked Assad, “How do we fight against the lies that are so pervasive?” Assad proceeded to accuse the Western media of keeping everyday people in the dark. Gesturing towards himself and Solovyov, Assad asserted, “We are different. For us, the truth is above all! We are spreading the truth! Transparency is also crucial in politics and government.”
Solovyov brought up the upcoming presidential election in Russia, despite the fact that Putin has no real opponents and the main opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, conveniently perished in the run-up to the Kremlin-controlled election charade. He pompously asked, “How much does this election impact the future of the world and not just Russia?” Assad asserted in reply, “The fate of the world depends on Russia—for many reasons, not only because of the war in Ukraine.” He proceeded to explain why the change of leadership in Russia during its fateful war in Ukraine would be impossible to conjure up. Assad asserted that he doesn’t want to interfere in Russia’s internal affairs, but at the same time made it clear that Putin should remain in charge for the good of the country and the world.
Assad pondered out loud, “Does Russia have any other options that would guarantee the kind of policies that will return it to the position of global influence? Of course, not the same as the Soviet Union, but much stronger.” The Syrian dictator repeatedly reiterated that his vocal support for Putin’s continued presidency is merely “his personal opinion.” Solovyov chimed in to reply, “Your personal opinion is very important!”
After praising Putin’s leadership and asserting that it should not be subject to change, Solovyov and Assad awkwardly giggled together, as they jointly mocked and criticized the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.
Solovyov asked, “Do you remember that you are a tyrant and a dictator, just like Vladimir Putin, just like Xi Jinping, just like the Iranian leadership, just like the leadership of [North] Korea? Meanwhile, in America and Europe, they are the democrats. You say that you should listen to the people, but they insist that everyone should listen to them. So who is the tyrant now?” Purporting to slam Western democracies, Assad sounded like he was describing Russia: “There is only one choice, there aren’t many options. The media and celebrities will make it seem that you elected the one you wanted.”
Solovyov repeatedly tried to draw the parallels between Russia and Syria, except for one glaring similarity. He failed to mention that both Assad and Putin are wanted for their war crimes.
Bashar al-Assad Predicts Trump Will Win in Cozy Interview on Russian State TV
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04.03.2024
During the broadcast of Sunday Evening With Vladimir Solovyov on Russian state TV, host Vladimir Solovyov proudly announced that he recently traveled to Damascus to interview President of Syria Bashar al-Assad to get his advice about how to interact with “crazed capitalist Western regimes” and “how to combat their lies.” After years of pleading for the attention of the fired Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Solovyov was able to snag the next best thing by interviewing Assad.
Unable to get his mind off Carlson’s ill-fated interview, Solovyov asked Assad for his prediction as to the outcome of the U.S. elections: “I’ll ask the same question that Tucker Carlson asked Putin: Biden or Trump?” Assad opined, “The analysis of the media and other information shows that Trump will win, but I always say that American presidents resemble one another.” He proceeded to assert that the unnamed figures behind the scenes—and not the U.S. presidents—determine the country’s politics.
During the interview, irony died a thousand painful deaths, as Russia’s most notorious propagandist, known for his hypocrisy, lies and nuclear threats, joined the butcher of Syria, known for committing war crimes and repeatedly lying about his actions. Disregarding Assad’s notorious use of chemical weapons against his own people, Solovyov claimed that the Syrian people “have freely made their choice.”
The Russian host alleged that the world is standing on the precipice of potential nuclear apocalypse, claiming that the United........
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