Russian President Vladimir Putin made a sarcastic comment on Thursday, expressing his “support” for Kamala Harris in the upcoming U.S. presidential election.
The comment came a day after Washington accused Moscow of attempting to meddle in the vote.
During a Q&A session at Russia’s Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Putin said, “Firstly, (US President Joe) Biden recommended all his supporters support Mrs Harris. Here, we are going to do that too, we’re going to support her.”
With a wry smile, he added, “She laughs so contagiously that it shows that everything is fine with her.”
Putin went on to contrast Harris with former President Donald Trump, noting that “Trump has imposed as many sanctions on Russia as any president has ever imposed before, and if Harris is doing well, perhaps she will refrain from such actions.”
In a past statement, Putin had called Biden “more predictable” than Trump, lending his support to the current U.S. president earlier this year.
However, the White House has consistently urged Putin to “stay out” of U.S. elections.
The Russian leader’s remarks followed the U.S. government’s decision to indict two employees of Russia’s state-run network RT and impose sanctions on its top editors, accusing them of attempting to interfere in the upcoming U.S. election.
