Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sept. 5 said he prefers Democratic candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris as the next U.S. president in a seemingly wry remark.
The claim comes shortly after the U.S. announced a wide-reaching crackdown on Russian interference in U.S. elections. Previously, Moscow has been accused of using disinformation campaigns and similar means to back Donald Trump against Hillary Clinton and Biden in the 2016 and 2020 elections.
The Kremlin's chief reiterated his earlier claims that he favors sitting President Biden, but since he stepped down from the race and recommended Harris, Putin prefers her as the candidate. In February, Putin said he favors Biden as he is a more "predictable" and "old-school" politician.
"As for the favorites (in the upcoming U.S. presidential election), it is not for us to decide... Our favorite, if I may say so, was Mr. Biden," Putin said at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.
After Biden left the race, "he recommended supporting Ms Harris. And we will do so," the Russian leader claimed. The Russian leader justified this preference by saying that Trump imposed heavy sanctions against Russia during his presidency and voiced hope Harris would "refrain from doing so."
The U.S. imposed sanctions against Moscow under both the Obama and Trump administrations. Russia then became the most heavily sanctioned country in the world after the outbreak of the full-scale war during the Biden administration.
The prospect of Trump's reelection is causing concern in Ukraine as signals from his close circle indicate he might seek to pressure Kyiv toward ceding territory and other concessions to achieve peace. The worries only grew after the ex-president picked JD Vance, a Senator from Ohio who is vocal critic of the Ukraine aid, as a running mate.
Trump has praised Putin on several occasions, while the Russian president alleged last September that Trump would be able to solve the war in Ukraine "within several days." The former U.S. president has said he would end the war within 24 hours without elaborating on the steps needed to achieve this.
In turn, Biden has positioned the U.S. as the leading military donor for Ukraine and spearheaded sanctions against Moscow. His administration nevertheless received criticism for the piecemeal and restrictive strategy in the support.
Elsa Court
