President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia would prefer to see US President Joe Biden win a second term, describing him as more experienced than Donald Trump.
Speaking in an interview with a correspondent of Russian state television, Mr Putin declared that he will work with any US leader who is elected, but noted unequivocally that he would prefer Mr Biden’s victory when asked who would be a better choice from the point of view of Russia.
“Biden, he’s more experienced, more predictable, he’s a politician of the old formation,” Putin said. “But we will work with any US leader whom the American people trust.
Asked about speculation on Mr Biden’s health issues, Mr Putin responded that “I’m not a doctor and I don’t consider it proper to comment on that.”
President Biden’s team worked to alleviate Democratic concerns over alarms raised by a special counsel about Biden’s age and memory.
They came in a report determining that the president would not be charged with any criminal activity for possessing classified documents after he left office.
Mr Putin noted that the talk about Mr Biden’s health comes as “the election campaign is gaining speed in the US, and it’s taking an increasingly sharp course”.
He added that allegations of Mr Biden’s health problems were also circulating at the time when they met in Switzerland in June 2021, adding that he witnessed the contrary and saw the US leader in a good shape.
“They talked about him being incapacitated, but I saw nothing of the kind,” Mr Putin said. “Yes, he was peeking at his papers, to be honest, I was peeking at mine, not a big deal.”
Mr Putin’s motives for saying Mr Biden is a better choice for Russia were unclear, but Mr Trump immediately sought to turn it in his favour at a campaign rally on Wednesday night by hailing the statement as a “great compliment”.
Mr Trump and Mr Putin have frequently praised each other in the past, and US intelligence agencies concluded that the Russian leader ordered a hidden campaign to influence the 2016 US election in favour of Mr Trump.
Both leaders have dismissed that finding.
While apparently endorsing Mr Biden, Mr Putin also blasted the White House’s policy toward Russia, describing it as “badly flawed and wrong”.
Russia-West ties have plunged to their lowest levels since the Cold War era after Mr Putin sent his troops into Ukraine in February 2022.
“I believe that the position of the current administration is badly flawed and wrong, and I have told President Biden about that,” Putin said.
Asked about Mr Trump’s statement on Saturday, in which he said he once warned he would allow Russia to do whatever it wants to Nato member nations that are “delinquent” in devoting 2% of their gross domestic product to defence, Mr Putin responded that it is up to the US to determine its role in the alliance.
Mr Trump’s statement sharply contrasted with Mr Biden’s pledge “to defend every inch of Nato territory,” as the alliance commits all members to do in case of attack.
“He has his own view on how relations with allies should develop,” Mr Putin said about Mr Trump.
“From his point of view, there is some logic in this, while from the point of view of the Europeans, there is no logic at all, and they would like the US to keep carrying out some functions they have fulfilled since the formation of Nato free of charge.”
He described Nato as a “US foreign policy tool,” adding that “if the US thinks that it no longer needs this tool it’s up to it to decide.”