Moscow is unhappy about the use of President Vladimir Putin’s name in US domestic politics, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.
The official was asked on Wednesday about remarks that Democratic nominee Kamala Harris made about the Russian leader during the Tuesday night's debate with Republican candidate Donald Trump. Putin “would eat you for lunch,” Harris told her opponent, as she touted her commitments to NATO and Ukraine.
Peskov responded that while the Russian government had taken note of the references during the debate in Philadelphia, it considered both candidates to be hostile.
”Putin’s name is being used as one of the tools in the American domestic political fight,” he added. “We do not like that at all. We hope that they will leave the name of our president alone.”
Earlier in the day, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed the American debate as largely irrelevant. She said it reminded her of a wrestling match on the Titanic, the outcome of which would be of no real interest to anyone 15 minutes before the doomed ship collided with an iceberg.
Putin previously said that Kamala Harris was his preferred candidate in the US race because she has “contagious” laughter. This indicates a person in good spirits, who would not be eager to adopt more anti-Russian policies, the president explained. Peskov has declined to clarify whether Putin’s endorsement was meant seriously or tongue-in-cheek, as some commentators have suggested.
Moscow has repeatedly said that it has no stake in foreign elections, including in the US, and will respect whatever choice voters make.