Who does Vladimir Putin want to win the US presidential election this autumn? Last night, the Russian president gave an unexpected answer to that question.
In an interview on the Russian state TV channel VGTRK, Putin was asked ‘Who is better for us, Biden or Trump?’ The smirk on journalist Pavel Zarubin’s face suggested he thought the question would be a slam dunk. And yet, to Zarubin’s visible surprise, Putin threw him a curve ball: Putin would, in fact, prefer Joe Biden.
The enigmatic Russian president is a showman and he likes to stir the pot.
Following a few moments of somewhat intense eye contact, Putin elaborated: ‘He is a more experienced person, he is predictable, he is an old-school politician.’ He then added, ‘But we will work with any US leader who the American people decide to trust.’
Putin’s compliments didn’t stop there. Recounting the last time he and Biden met in person in Geneva in June 2021, Putin said, ‘Even then they said that he was incompetent. I didn’t see anything like it.’ Referring to a number of embarrassing incidents in recent months that have made some question Biden’s faculties, he added, ‘the fact that getting out of a helicopter, he somehow hit his head, well… who of us hasn’t banged their head on something? I’m not a doctor – I don’t consider it appropriate to pass comment on such things.’
Putin’s seeming endorsement of Biden is certainly surprising. Throughout his presidency Trump faced accusations of being too sympathetic towards the Kremlin. Just last weekend, the former president said he’d effectively encourage Russia to go after any nation not sufficiently contributing to Nato’s defences. Ukraine’s allies fear that if elected Trump will give Putin an easier time when it comes to the war.