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Not Donald Trump, who is Vladimir Putin's preference as US president?
Russian President Vladimir Putin's comments come ahead of the US Presidential elections in November this year.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday expressed his preference for Joe Biden as the US President over Donald Trump, calling the former more “experienced and predictable”. According to Putin, he would work with any US leader, however, he would prefer Biden from the point of view of Russia.
"Biden…he's more experienced, more predictable, he's a politician of the old formation. But we will work with any US leader whom the American people trust,” Putin said during an interview with a local television network, as quoted by AP.
Putin's comments come ahead of the US Presidential election in November this year. His statements are also contradictory to what he said during a recent interview with US TV host Tucker Carlson wherein the Russian President slammed Biden and boosted Donald Trump and his ‘Make America Great Again’ (Maga) voter base.
On reports of Biden's deteriorating health, Putin said that such talks come as the “election campaign is gaining speed in the US, and it’s taking an increasingly sharp course.”
“I'm not a doctor and I don't consider it proper to comment on Biden's health…Allegations of Biden's health problems were also circulating at the time when we met in Switzerland in June 2021 but he was in good shape…They talked about him being incapacitated, but I saw nothing of the kind…Yes, he was peeking at his papers, to be honest, I was peeking at mine, not a big deal,” Putin said.
Also read: Russia sanctions UK officials, historians and academics: ‘Russophobic people’
The Russia-US ties plunged since the Cold War era after Putin sent his troops into Ukraine in February 2022. Amid his endorsement of Biden, Putin also denounced the US government's approach to Russia over the Ukraine war, calling it “harmful and mistaken”.
“I believe that the position of the current administration is badly flawed and wrong, and I have told President Biden about that,” the Russian President said, as showed no doubt over starting the war.
“…We can only regret that we didn’t act earlier (start the war earlier),” he said.
The Russia-Ukraine war has been going on for the past two years with both sides continuously stepping up their offensive against each other. The war, which initially began in 2014, escalated last year after Russia invaded Ukraine. It is estimated to have caused tens of thousands of civilian casualties and the displacement of millions of Ukrainians.
(With inputs from agencies)
