White House tells Putin to stay out of US elections after he picks Biden as preferred candidate
The White House has told Vladimir Putin to “stay out of America’s election” after he said Joe Biden was his preferred candidate.
Asked who was better for Russia, Mr Putin said Mr Biden was a “more experienced, predictable person, a politician of the old school”.
Smiling slightly, he added: “But we will work with any US president who the American people have confidence in.”
It was the first time the Russian president has publicly commented on the election race, with Mr Biden expected to face Donald Trump for a second time.
Responding to Mr Putin’s remarks, White House Spokesman Andrew Bates told our partner network NBC News: “Mr Putin should stay out of America’s elections.”
The Russian president’s comments are likely to be
perceived as mischief-making than taken at face value.
Mr Biden has led the Western response to Russia’s invasion, including the expansion of the NATO
alliance, while Mr Trump recently said he would not protect allies who he believed were not paying enough, adding: “In fact, I would encourage them [Russia] to do whatever the hell they want.”
Mr Putin went on to comment on Mr Biden’s mental
fitness: “When I met with Biden in Switzerland – true, that was
several years, three years ago – people were already saying he
wasn’t up to it. I didn’t see anything of the kind.”
While appearing to defend Biden, he brought up an
episode that embarrassed the US leader, when he banged his
head while getting out of a helicopter in June last year.
“Well, which of us hasn’t banged his head somewhere?” Mr Putin said.
Mr Trump, he said, “has been called a non-systemic
politician; he has his own view on the topic of how the United
States should develop relations with its allies.”
