President Vladimir Putin said that Russia would prefer to see U.S. President Joe Biden win a second term, describing him as more experienced and predictable than Donald Trump — even though Moscow strongly disagrees with the current administration’s policies.
Putin’s comments during an interview with Russian state television Wednesday were his first about the upcoming U.S. presidential election, likely to pit Biden against Trump. They were rare praise for Biden, a fierce critic of the Russian leader who has frequently lauded Trump.
“Biden, he’s more experienced, more predictable, he’s a politician of the old formation,” Putin said, when asked which candidate would be better for Russia. “But we will work with any U.S. leader whom the American people trust.”
Putin’s motives for saying Biden is a better choice for Russia were unclear, but the assertion was eyebrow-raising given prior U.S. government assessments of the Russian leader’s support for Trump and of Kremlin efforts to tip American elections in his favor.
The apparent endorsement was not welcomed by the White House. Asked during a briefing on Thursday about Putin’s remarks, national security spokesman John Kirby responded, “I think Mr. Putin knows very well what this administration has been doing to counter Russia’s malign influence around the world.”
“Mr. Putin should just stay out of our elections,” Kirby added.
Trump, by contrast, immediately hailed the statement at a campaign rally Wednesday night, calling it a “great compliment” to him.
U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Putin ordered a hidden campaign to influence the 2016 race in favor of Trump over Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton, with Russian operatives hacking Democratic emails and facilitating their release in the run-up to the election. More recently, intelligence agencies concluded that Putin had authorized influence operations in the 2020 election aimed at denigrating Biden, boosting Trump, undermining confidence in the vote and exacerbating social divisions in the U.S.
Trump and Putin, who have frequently praised each other in the past, have dismissed such findings.
