Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed that Kamala Harris has Russia’s support in the forthcoming US presidential election.
Harris is up against Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, in the race for the White House. Trump is widely perceived as Putin’s ally.
Speaking in a tongue-in-cheek manner at the Eastern economic forum in Vladivostok on Thursday, Putin said Russia would follow US President Joe Biden’s lead and back Harris ahead of the vote.
“We will do the same, we will support her,” Putin said with a chuckle. “She laughs so expressively and infectiously that it means that everything is fine with her.”
The Russian leader said Trump oversaw the most sanctions on Russia as US leader. “Ultimately, the choice is up to the American people, and we will respect that choice,” he said.
Last month, Trump praised Putin’s leadership style, saying he was on top of his game.
The former US president also claimed that Russia would not have invaded Ukraine if he were president because he would have stood up to Putin.
In 2016, US intelligence agencies accused Russia of running a disinformation campaign to boost Trump’s electoral chances against Hillary Clinton. Russia denied the claims.
Moscow has also been accused of interfering in the 2024 US election.
