The former boxing champion claims the podcaster has fallen for Moscow’s scare tactics

Former world heavyweight boxing champion Vladimir Klitschko has accused popular American podcast host Joe Rogan of peddling Russian propaganda, after the podcaster criticized outgoing US President Joe Biden’s aid to Ukraine.

Rogan slammed Biden for reversing his previous policy of not allowing Ukraine to use American-made long-range ATACMS missiles for strikes deep inside Russia.

“There should be some sort of a pause for significant actions that could potentially start World War III,” Rogan said on his podcast on Friday. Rogan previously endorsed President-elect Donald Trump, who vowed to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine through diplomacy and has questioned Biden’s unconditional support for Kiev.

Vladimir Klitschko, who is the younger brother of Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko, reacted with a video message on X.

“You talk about these American weapons being sent to Ukraine, which you believe will lead to the third world war. So let me tell you that you’re repeating Russian propaganda,” the former boxer said. “Russia is in trouble. So they want to scare you and people like you,” he claimed.

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The only weapon Russian President Vladimir Putin “really intends to use is propaganda,” Klitschko claimed, offering to join Rogan on his podcast to discuss the issue further.

Washington had long opposed granting permission to use ATACMS on Russia’s internationally recognized territory, citing fears of an escalation.

After the US finally lifted the restrictions earlier this month, Ukraine fired ATACMS missiles at Russia’s Bryansk Region. Moscow retaliated to the barrage by firing its new Oreshnik hypersonic nuclear-capable ballistic missile at a military factory in Dnepr.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin said the lifting of restrictions on Kiev's use of Western-supplied missiles would drastically “change the nature” of the conflict. He argued that the US-made ATACMS, as well as the British-French Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG missiles, cannot be fired “without the direct involvement of military experts” from the West.

Russia has recently revised its nuclear doctrine, lowering the threshold for a nuclear strike. Moscow has also stepped up strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and defense sites in conjunction with its continuing offensive in the Donbass, as well as the push to eject Ukrainian forces from Russia’s Kursk Region, part of which has been occupied since early August.