Fox News host Bill O’Reilly balked at Moscow on Monday after the Kremlin insisted he apologize for calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a “killer” during a recent White House interview.
“The Putin administration in Moscow is demanding that I, your humble correspondent, apologize for saying Old Vlad is a killer,” Mr. O’Reilly said during Monday night’s episode of “The O’Reilly Factor.”
“So I am working on that apology but it may take a little time. Might want to check in with me around 2023,” he advised.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to Mr. O’Reilly’s latest comment Tuesday, telling reporters that Russia has “a different understanding of the rules of etiquette and manners.”
“But we are very kind and very patient,” Mr. Peskov said, Russian media reported Tuesday. “We will put a note in the calendar for 2023 and will get back to him with this issue.”
Mr. O’Reilly first drew the Kremlin’s ire earlier this week after he described the Russian president as “a killer” during an interview with President Trump aired prior to Sunday’s Super Bowl.
“We consider such words from the Fox TV company to be unacceptable and insulting, and honestly speaking, we would prefer to get an apology from such a respected TV company,” Mr. Peskov told reporters on a conference call afterwards.
Addressing the comments again Tuesday, Mr. Peskov said the incident is more “unpleasant” for Fox News than for Russia.
“We are not inclined to exaggerate this or to blow this out of proportion,” he said. “But in any case the insult that is voiced by a correspondent of a media outlet and subsequently passed over in silence by its chief editorial office characterizes these media negatively.”
Others in Moscow, meanwhile, aren’t as ready to move forward absent an apology. Vitaly Milonov, a conservative legislator in the State Duma, reportedly proposed stripping Fox News of its Russian media accreditation if the pundit doesn’t say he’s sorry.
“Fox News’ accreditation should go to hell unless they throw out that dog,” Mr. Milonov said of Mr. O’Reilly, the Ura.ru news portal reported Tuesday.
Opponents of Mr. Putin’s regime have linked his administration to the murders of several opposition activists and investigative journalists, among others critics.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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