Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the US presidential election race as “increasingly uncivilized,” but has stressed it would be inappropriate for Moscow to interfere in American domestic affairs.
Russia does not meddle in foreign elections and will work with any elected US president, Putin said in an interview with journalist Dmitry Kiselyov, set to be aired by national media on Wednesday.
“But what is curious is that in the last year of his work as president, Mr. Trump, today’s presidential candidate, reproached me for sympathizing with Biden. That’s what he told me in one of the conversations: ‘Do you want Sleepy Joe to win?’” Putin quoted then President Trump as saying sometime in 2020.
“And then, to my surprise, he [Trump] was persecuted because we allegedly supported him as a candidate. Well, it’s complete nonsense,” the Russian leader added.
When asked last month if incumbent President Joe Biden or Republican challenger Trump would be better for Russia in the 2024 election, Putin answered unequivocally: “Biden. He’s a more experienced and predictable person, he’s a politician of the old sort.”
Putin refused to comment further on the current presidential campaign in the US, but described the atmosphere as becoming “increasingly uncivilized.”
“I think it’s obvious to everyone that the American political system cannot claim to be democratic in any sense of the word,” he said.