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Agence France-Presse

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday he supported Kamala Harris in November’s US presidential election, an apparent wry remark a day after the United States issued indictments accusing Moscow of vote interference.
Putin often comments on political and social issues in the United States, often in a mocking way.
He said last year that the US political system was “rotten” and that Washington could not lecture other countries about democracy.
US officials have repeatedly warned of efforts by foreign powers to meddle in the coming US election, accusing Moscow of seeking to influence US ballots dating back to the 2016 contest between Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton.
“Firstly, [US President Joe] Biden recommended all his supporters support Mrs Harris,” Putin said during a question and answer session at Russia’s Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.

Biden withdrew from the race in July amid concerns about his age and health, endorsing Vice-President Harris to top the Democratic Party’s ticket.
“Here, we are going to do that too, we’re going to support her,” Putin told the audience, with a wry smile.
“She laughs so contagiously that it shows that everything is fine with her,” the Russian leader said.
“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 February, Putin backed Biden over Trump, calling the current president more “predictable”. The White House called on Putin to “stay out” of US elections in response.
Trump has said he will end the Ukraine war within “24 hours” if he is re-elected and has praised Putin as a “very smart cookie” who had repeatedly outsmarted the United States.
Putin said in July that he took Trump’s comments about bringing a quick end to the fighting “quite seriously”, and denounced the former real-estate magnate’s convictions in the US as “persecution”.


Both leaders’ comments have sparked suspicion Putin would be more sympathetic to a Trump presidency, but the Kremlin has insisted whoever wins will make no difference to the Ukraine war.
Putin’s comments came a day after the United States indicted two employees of state-run Russian news network RT and slapped sanctions on its top editors.
The 10 individuals and two entities sanctioned by the US Treasury Department included RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan and her deputy Elizaveta Brodskaia.
Washington accused them of trying to influence the coming US ballot, an accusation that the Russian foreign ministry denounced as false.
“It is an obvious operation, an information campaign … that was long prepared and that is needed ahead of the last stage of the electoral cycle,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told state news agency RIA Novosti.
She added that “of course, [a response] is being prepared”, warning that it will be harsh and that it will make “everyone shudder.”
Most US media have downsized or pulled their staff from Russia since Moscow launched its Ukraine offensive amid laws targeting independent reporting on the conflict.


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Vladimir Putin

Putin backs Kamala Harris for US president, with wry smile: ‘everything is fine’

Putin often comments on political and social issues in the United States, often in a mocking way. Photo: AFP

In February, Putin backed Biden over Trump. Photo: EPA-EFE/Kremlin pool

Joe Biden joins Kamala Harris for first joint rally since stepping aside

US President Joe Biden embraces Democratic presidential nominee, US Vice-President Kamala Harris, during a campaign event on Monday in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Photo: Getty Images via AFP

Biden looks on during the Labour Day campaign event with Harris in Pittsburgh on Monday. Photo: Reuters

Supporters cheer as Harris and her running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz arrive at a campaign rally in Philadelphia on August 6. Photo: AP

Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on August 30. He took the weekend off from campaigning. Photo: Reuters

A fracking facility in Pennsylvania. Harris’ past call for a fracking ban raised doubts in the must-win, gas-producing state. Photo: Bloomberg

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US congresswoman Liz Cheney listens as the House select committee investigating the January 6 holds a hearing in Washington in June 2022. Photo: AP

Trump’s lewd, crude, hyper-macho attitude is winning him the ‘manosphere’

A tattooed millennial cryptocurrency investor wears a Maga Boyz T-shirt during a Trump rally last month. Photo: AFP

Donald Trump pumps his fist as he is rushed off stage by Secret Service agents after being grazed by a bullet during a campaign rally in July. Photo: Getty Images/TNS

Nick Passano (left) pumps his fist in the air during a political rally in Pennsylvania on August 30 where Trump spoke during a campaign stop. Photo; AFP

Trump attends UFC 302 in Newark, New Jersey, on June 1, days after being convicted on 34 felony charges in New York. Photo: AFP

The entry of 59-year-old Kamala Harris as the Democrats’ new candidate means Trump is facing someone far younger. Photo: Getty Images/TNS

Donald Trump says he won’t interrupt Kamala Harris as VP accepts rules for next week’s debate

Former US president Donald Trump speaks at a town hall in Pennsylvania on September 4. Photo: EPA-EFE

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Putin often comments on political and social issues in the US, often in a mocking way


Putin often comments on political and social issues in the US, often in a mocking way.
