Boris Johnson withdrew from a debate with the US rightwinger and Putin interviewer Tucker Carlson after the death of Alexei Navalny, having previously agreed to the event for a $1m fee which his team says would have gone to charities for Ukrainian veterans.
Carlson, a former Fox News host known for having launched scathing attacks against the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, revealed on the rightwing news channel Blaze TV that Johnson had initially agreed to be interviewed.
The US presenter said he extended the invitation after becoming “annoyed” that Johnson had denounced him as a Kremlin stooge after his controversial interview with Putin that failed to challenge the Russian president over the bloodshed in Ukraine.
The TV host claimed that Johnson had demanded $1m but this was rejected as untrue by Johnson’s camp, who said the sum was offered by Carlson and the former prime minister would have given the money to charities for Ukrainian veterans.
Carlson claimed he approached the former prime minister, and a member of Johnson’s team said “it’s going to cost you $1m” and “then he will explain his position on Ukraine”.
Carlson added: “I’m not defending Putin, but Putin didn’t ask for $1m … This whole thing is a freaking shakedown.”
He said: “If you’re making money off a war, you know, you can deal with God on that, because that’s really immoral.”
A spokesperson for Johnson said: “This account is untrue.”
It is understood Johnson decided not to go ahead with it after the death of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, which has been widely blamed on the Kremlin.
It is the latest flare-up in a row between the pair after Johnson used his Daily Mail column to brand Carlson “a traitor to journalism” for his interview with the Russian president.
Johnson said the presenter had betrayed “viewers and listeners around the world” for not taking Putin to task for “the torture, the rapes, the blowing-up of kindergartens” in Ukraine.
In the Carlson interview, Putin claimed Johnson helped scupper a deal aimed at ending the war – a claim that has been denied by the former MP and rubbished by senior Ukrainian figures.
Since leaving parliament, Johnson has made millions of pounds giving speeches and making appearances, including £3.7m in 2023.
