President Joe Biden confirmed from an unexpected and perhaps unwanted source: The Kremlin.
Russian President Vladimir Putin He said on Wednesday that his country would prefer to see a second term in the “more experienced” Biden than a Republican candidate in the White House. former President Donald Trump.
The comments, which could be seen as more mischievous intervention than serious statesmanship, were the Russian leader’s most direct public statement regarding the upcoming US presidential election. They were welcomed by Trump but rejected by the White House, which called on Putin to “stay out” of the election.
In an interview with Russian propaganda reporter Pavel Zarubin that aired Wednesday evening, Putin did not hesitate when asked whether Biden or Trump was better for Russia.
“Biden,” Putin said. “He’s a more experienced, predictable person, an old-school politician.”
But he added that Moscow will work with any US leader who wins the trust of the American people.
Zarubin shared the video of the interview on his Telegram channel, and the transcript of Putin’s comments was published on the Kremlin website.
Putin also touched on this topic in the interview speculation Speaking about Biden’s mental health, he said he was not authorized to comment on the matter, but said he did not see anything unusual during the meeting. Meeting of leaders in Geneva in 2021.
“People already said that he did not agree to it. I didn’t see anything like that,” Putin said.
The White House responded to the intervention of the Russian leader on Thursday morning. “Mr. Putin should stay out of the American elections,” White House spokesman Andrew Bates said.
Biden has been criticizing Putin for a long time, calling the Russian leader a “murderer”, “murderous dictator” and “pure thug”. He led the Western response to Putin’s aggression against Ukraine in 2022, including tough economic sanctions.
The U.S. also supplies Ukraine’s military with billions of dollars worth of critical supplies, and Putin’s intervention comes as the White House forces the GOP-led House of Representatives to vote through a new vote. Aid package to Kyiv.
Trump, by contrast, has often praised Putin and hailed him as a tough leader. A Senate intelligence report Russia’s “extensive” interference in the 2016 election, which Trump won, was revealed.
Former president The alarm sounded in Europe At an election rally last weekend, he said he would encourage Russia to “do what they want” if it attacks a NATO country that doesn’t pay enough for its defense.
The Republican front-runner stood by his comments at a Wednesday evening rally. He also called Putin’s preference for Biden a “big compliment” and added, “Putin is not a fan of mine.”
Putin has previously blamed NATO and the bloc’s eastward expansion for accelerating his attack on Ukraine. Biden promised strong support for America’s NATO allies accused Trump “bowed to the Russian dictator” on Tuesday.
Putin said in the interview that Trump has always been perceived as an “unsystematic politician” with “his own vision” of how the United States should develop relations with its allies.
A week ago, a the much talked about interview Putin told former Fox News host Tucker Carlson that he “has a personal relationship” with Trump, but could not remember the last time he spoke to Biden. “It’s not about the personality of the leader, it’s about the mood of the elite,” Putin said when asked whether it was important who was in charge in Washington to improve relations with Russia.
In an interview with Carlson on Wednesday, Putin said he was surprised by the lack of “sharp questions” from the conservative commentator.
He said he expects Carlson to be more “aggressive” and interrupt him more so he can give a more specific answer. Carlson has not pressed Putin on many sensitive issues for the Kremlin, including the crackdown on dissidents or Russia’s alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
“Frankly speaking, I did not fully enjoy this interview,” Putin said.
Gabe Gutierrez, Jake Traylor and Vaughn Hillyard contributed.