On Putin ‘backing’ Kamala Harris, Kremlin says people free to interpret

Putin noted that Harris has an “expressive and infectious laugh,” suggesting “she’s doing well.” The audience erupted in scattered laughter when he added that if Harris is doing well, perhaps she would be less inclined to impose sanctions on Russia.

However, the tone of Putin’s remarks suggests he may have been joking or subtly mocking Harris’s campaign. This comes at a time when the US government, under President Biden, has raised fresh accusations that Russia is attempting to interfere in the November election to favour former President Donald Trump.

On Friday, when Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, was asked whether President Putin’s support for Harris was genuine or in jest, that people would have to determine it for themselves, Peskov told reporters, “When he is asked about international affairs, he comments on them. As for his tone, people abroad who are interested must try to interpret that,” news agency Reuters reported

However, Peskov added that Putin’s main concern was Russia’s wellbeing, noting that “American affairs cannot be, and are not, a concern that is at the top of the president’s agenda.”

The White House responded on Thursday, stating that Putin should refrain from commenting on the November election.

While, Republican challenger Trump responded to the comment during a campaign stop at the New York Economic Club on Thursday, saying, “I don’t know if I’m insulted or he did me a favour.”

Putin’s comments came a day after the US Department of Justice accused Russian-owned state broadcaster RT of attempting to influence the US vote, leading to the indictment of two Russian journalists. However, this isn’t the first time Putin has stirred US domestic politics.

In 2004, he endorsed President George W. Bush, claiming a Bush loss could increase global terrorism. By 2016, he praised Donald Trump as “outstanding and talented,” though Russia was later accused of interfering in the election through a hack of Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails.

In 2019, Putin joked about meddling in the 2020 US election, though he denied involvement in the 2016 election and maintained that his focus was on Russian domestic issues.

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