Russian President Vladimir Putin was joking when he said Moscow was backing Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
This is what Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says in an interview with Sky News Arabia.
Putin said earlier this month that he favors Harris as the winner of the presidential election scheduled for November 5.
The move sparked a reaction from the White House, which asked Putin to stop commenting on the US elections. Reuters.
“It was a joke,” Foreign Minister Lavrov says in the interview, which has been republished in full. Russian Foreign Ministry website.
– President Putin has a sense of humor. The experienced senior Russian diplomat says that he often jokes in his statements and interviews.
– I do not see long-term differences in our attitude towards the current or previous elections in the United States, because they are controlled by the notorious “deep state,” as Lavrov says.
Read also: Putin says he supports Harris in presidential election
– Trump was friendly.
Moreover, Lavrov says that President Joe Biden's physical health has made him unable to rule his country for a long time.
– I have no illusions when it comes to American leaders. When Donald Trump was president, he had several meetings with President Vladimir Putin. I was also received at the White House several times. He was friendly, Lavrov says.
But the Trump administration has imposed sanctions on Russia on a regular and consistent basis, and those sanctions have been very severe, the Russian foreign minister says.
“We have finally come to the conclusion that independence is the best option,” Lavrov says. “We will never again have hope that a ‘good person’ will enter the White House or any other Western capital, who will ensure that things improve in our country.”
Read also: Trump sees big rise in new poll
REFUSES: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pictured during an interview with Sky News Arabia, rejecting Putin's overtures to Harris.
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Psychological game
Jacob M. Godzimirski is a senior researcher at Nupi. Godzimirski referred to the Putin-Harris ploy as a psychological game designed to create more polarization, discord, and uncertainty in the United States.
“When Putin announces his support for Harris, he does so to undermine her. They are doing all this to undermine confidence in American democracy,” Godzimirski told Nettavision earlier this month.
Godzimirski has been researching Russian politics and security policy for decades.
– For Putin and Russia, it doesn't necessarily matter who wins the presidential election. He said the most important thing is to weaken unity in the United States and contribute to more polarization, discord and tension, so that the United States has to engage more at home than abroad.
Read also: Langer out against Harris and Trump: Collapse of tracks and civil war
Eric Locke, an adviser at the Civita think tank, called Harris' move a
“I doubt he himself thinks anyone will take this seriously,” Luke told Nettavision. “For Russia and Putin, Trump would be a clear advantage.”
– With Trump as US president, Putin gets exactly what he wants: continued uncertainty with NATO and an American president who favors authoritarian leaders over democratic ones. There is no doubt that Trump is the preferred candidate, Lukke said.
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