Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a rare interview that his country's defeat in Ukraine is “impossible”, but he seemed to confirm that back-channel talks with the US had been renewed.
“There has been the uproar and screaming about inflicting a strategic defeat to Russia on the battlefield,” he told conservative commentator Tucker Carlson in an interview released on Thursday, as the two-year anniversary of the war approaches.
“In my opinion, it is impossible, by definition. It is never going to happen.”
Mr Putin also said that “we haven't achieved our aims yet” but Russia was open to “dialogue”.
Carlson asked if Nato member Poland would ever be invaded.
“Only in one case: if Poland attacks Russia,” Mr Putin answered.
“We have no interest in Poland, Latvia or anywhere else. It is absolutely out of the question.”
He also made a claim that he had explored the possibility of Russia joining Nato during former president Bill Clinton's mandate, but he said this idea was rejected by his American counterpart.
This was Mr Putin's first interview with a western journalist since at least 2019.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier this week said that the recorded sit-down chat was permitted because the Russian government believed Carlson was not “one-sided” in his reporting.
The two-hour conversation took place on Tuesday and was published on Carlson's website, as well as the social platform X.
Mr Putin appeared to confirm that back-channel talks between Washington and Moscow on Ukraine have been renewed.
“Certain contacts are being maintained,” he said, without providing any other details.
Conservative journalist Carlson, who was fired from the Fox News network last year after a $787.5 million defamation case, has been publishing his own videos and interviews online.
The interview comes at a pivotal point in US politics, in which Republican leaders in Congress and some parts of the American public are increasingly apprehensive about sending more military aid to Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
Democratic President Joe Biden, who has requested at least $60 billion for Ukraine as Ukrainian funds and ammunition run low, argues that Kyiv's fight is one against authoritarianism and for democracy.
“I will tell you what we are saying on this matter and what we are conveying to the US leadership. If you really want to stop fighting, you need to stop supplying weapons,” Mr Putin said on the matter.
Carlson also brought up the imprisonment of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been held on accusations of spying – charges he and the newspaper deny.
The US government has deemed Gerschkovich to be “wrongfully detained” and Mr Putin told Carlson that an “agreement can be reached” regarding the journalist.
“There is no taboo to settle this issue,” he said. “We are willing to solve it but there are certain terms being discussed via special services channels. I believe an agreement can be reached.”
Journalist Alsu Kurmasheva at US-funded Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty, who holds dual US citizenship, is also detained in Russia.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
if you go
The flights
Emirates offer flights to Buenos Aires from Dubai, via Rio De Janeiro from around Dh6,300. emirates.com
Seeing the games
Tangol sell experiences across South America and generally have good access to tickets for most of the big teams in Buenos Aires: Boca Juniors, River Plate, and Independiente. Prices from Dh550 and include pick up and drop off from your hotel in the city. tangol.com
Staying there
Tangol will pick up tourists from any hotel in Buenos Aires, but after the intensity of the game, the Faena makes for tranquil, upmarket accommodation. Doubles from Dh1,110. faena.com
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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Specs
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
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WHAT IS GRAPHENE?
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
FIGHT CARD
Fights start from 6pm Friday, January 31
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) v Ahmed Saeb (IRQ)
Women’s bantamweight
Cornelia Holm (SWE) v Corinne Laframboise (CAN)
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (JOR) v Vitalii Stoian (UKR)
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) v Ali Dyusenov (UZB)
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) v Delfin Nawen (PHI)
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) v Mohamed El Mokadem (EGY)
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) v Ramadan Noaman (EGY)
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) v Reydon Romero (PHI)
Welterweight
Ahmed Labban (LEB) v Juho Valamaa (FIN)
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) v Austin Arnett (USA)
Super heavyweight
Roman Wehbe (LEB) v Maciej Sosnowski (POL)
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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Volvo ES90 Specs
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
