Vladimir Putin on Thursday assured that he “supports” Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, current vice-president of the United States, in the American presidential election in November, the day after accusations of electoral interference made by Washington and rejected by Moscow.
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US President Joe Biden “recommended his voters to support Ms Harris, so we will support her too,” the Russian leader said at an economic forum in Vladivostok.
“Secondly, she has such an expressive and infectious laugh that it shows she is doing well,” he added.
The Russian president said that Republican candidate Donald Trump, who was in the White House from 2017 to 2021, had imposed “more sanctions on Russia than any other president” before him.
Kamala Harris “may not do that kind of thing,” he said.
Russia has been accused of carrying out influence operations in favour of Donald Trump, particularly on social networks, during the 2016 presidential election. Trump won the election.
On Wednesday, US authorities took a series of measures, including sanctions and prosecutions, against executives of the Russian media outlet RT, in response to what they say are attempts by Russia to interfere in the November 2024 elections.
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that the measures taken against RT officials were part of an “information campaign (…) that has been prepared for a long time and is necessary as we approach the final phase of the electoral cycle.”
She assured that Moscow was “obviously preparing a response to these new sanctions that would make everyone shudder,” in an interview with the state news agency Ria Novosti.
The American authorities have not indicated which camp, Democrat or Republican, benefited from this supposed interference.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland limited himself to indicating that according to intelligence analysis, “Russia’s preferences have not changed since the last election”, seeming to indicate that Moscow was pushing candidate Trump.
Before Joe Biden withdrew from the White House race in favor of Ms. Harris, Mr. Putin had said he preferred the current occupant of the Oval Office to Donald Trump.
For his part, the former American president is accused by his Democratic detractors of being an admirer of Vladimir Putin.
