Neither Democrat Kamala Harris nor Republican Donald Trump could possibly get elected in Belarus or Russia, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Wednesday, calling both candidates “idiots.”
Lukashenko made the remarks in an interview with Russian broadcaster VGTRK on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan. When asked if he was monitoring the upcoming US presidential election and whether he favored any candidates the Belarusian leader decried their empty rhetoric and personal attacks against each other.
“If it were us or Russia, neither of these idiots would be elected,” Lukashenko told the interviewer. “It’s terrible! One is incompetent, and the other is blathering about devil knows what.”
“They are all idiots,” he said, adding that both campaigns have wasted billions of dollars without producing a coherent program. “This is a terrible, stupid election. From our perspective, I don’t understand anything at all.”
Despite this, Lukashenko admitted that he would prefer to see Trump reelected – but not because he personally likes him or his policies.
“I know what will happen if Harris stays. If Trump comes along... well, I assume nothing good will happen, but there is still some hope,” he said.
Lukashenko expressed skepticism that Trump could fulfill his promise to end the Ukraine conflict, acknowledging that it is easier said than done.
The Republican candidate, a critic of funding for Kiev with US taxpayer dollars, has repeatedly promised to bring the conflict between Russia and Ukraine to an immediate close.
“I think that we’re stuck in that war unless I’m president. I’ll get it done. I’ll get it negotiated, I’ll get out. We gotta get out. [President Joe Biden] says ‘we will not leave until we win.’ What happens if [the Russians] win?” Trump said in September.
In contrast, Harris has vowed to maintain Biden’s course, including support for Ukraine. “As president, I will stand strong with Ukraine and our NATO allies,” she declared during her Democratic nominee acceptance speech earlier this year.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed skepticism that Washington’s foreign policy toward Moscow will change following the November election.
“We do not think the election outcome will impact US policy toward Russia,” he told journalists in July, adding that Moscow will work with any leader elected by the American people.