Russian president Vladimir Putin has thrown his support behind vice president Kamala Harris in the upcoming November US presidential election.
Speaking at Russia’s Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Putin made the eyebrow-raising statement just a day after the United States issued indictments accusing Moscow of vote interference.
Putin, known for his often mocking comments on US politics, referenced president Joe Biden’s endorsement of Harris following his withdrawal from the race.
“Firstly, Biden recommended all his supporters support Mrs. Harris,” Putin said.
“Here, we are going to do that too, we’re going to support her,” he added with a wry smile, as outlined by Insider Paper (IP).
The Russian leader went on to praise Harris’s laugh, stating, “She laughs so contagiously that it shows that everything is fine with her.”
He also suggested that Harris might be less inclined to impose sanctions on Russia compared to president Donald Trump, who Putin noted had imposed numerous sanctions during his tenure.
This endorsement comes as a stark contrast to Putin’s previous statements, per IP.
In February, he had backed Biden over Trump, calling the current president more “predictable.”
The White House responded by calling on Putin to “stay out” of US elections.
The timing of Putin’s remarks is particularly noteworthy, coming just a day after the United States indicted two employees of the state-run Russian news network RT and imposed sanctions on its top editors.
The US Treasury Department accused them of attempting to influence the upcoming US election.
In response to these sanctions, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova denounced the accusations as false, calling it “an obvious operation, an information campaign… that was long prepared.”
IP noted that she warned of a harsh response that will make “everyone shudder.”
US officials have repeatedly warned of foreign interference in American elections, with accusations against Moscow dating back to the 2016 contest between Trump and Hillary Clinton.
The upcoming election has been no exception, with concerns about foreign meddling remaining high.
Trump, for his part, has made bold claims about ending the Ukraine conflict within “24 hours” if re-elected and has praised Putin as a “very smart cookie.”
Putin took these comments “quite seriously,” according to his July statement.
As the US presidential race heats up, Putin’s somewhat unexpected endorsement of Harris adds another layer of complexity to an already contentious election season.
One X user said of the news, “Putin has endorsed Kamala Harris. He knows who will be more predictable and controllable.”
“I’ll stick with the guy that Putin is afraid of,” he added.
Another wrote, “Putin prefers Harris over Trump. Of course he does.”
“If you were Putin, who would you want in charge? The guy with a vision to make America STRONG,” the commenter continued.
“Or the literal communist who will continue to contribute to America’s decline.”
Source: Resistthemainstream
