Vladimir Putin Believes Biden Would Be Better as the US President for Russia Rather Than Trump

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in an on-camera interview with journalist Pavel Zarubin on Wednesday, stated that a Joe Biden presidency would be more favorable for Russia than a Donald Trump presidency. Putin made these remarks in anticipation of a potential rematch between the two in this year's U.S. election. When asked by Zarubin about the upcoming U.S. presidential election, Putin expressed his belief that Biden would be better for Russia.

According to Politico, he said, “[Biden] is a more experienced, predictable person. He is a politician of the old school. But we will work with any leader of the United States, who is trusted by the American people."

Putin also emphasized the importance of assessing the current administration's actions based on its "political position." According to CNN, he said, “I believe that the position of the current administration is extremely harmful and erroneous." He made this statement about Russia's conflict in Ukraine, suggesting that the war could have ended over a year and a half ago if agreements made during a meeting in Istanbul in March 2022 had been upheld. However, Putin did not specify the details of these agreements.

Meanwhile, Trump received backlash during his time in office for his amicable rapport with Putin. Recently, he sparked controversy by stating that he would support Russia in doing "whatever the hell they want" to NATO allies that fail to meet defense spending obligations. Additionally, the Russian leader has previously disregarded evidence of his country's interference in the 2016 election to support Trump's candidacy.

Putin took advantage of Wednesday's interview to diminish speculation about Biden's cognitive abilities, reminiscing about their meeting in Switzerland in June 2021, less than a year before Russia's extensive invasion of Ukraine.

Putin said, "When I met with Biden in Switzerland — it was, indeed, a few years ago, three years — even then there were talks about him being incompetent. I saw nothing of the sort. Yes, he glanced at his notes. Honestly, I glanced at mine too. There’s nothing to it.” He also emphasized that he is more focused on Washington's political stance than on his U.S. counterpart's health, which he described as "extremely harmful and erroneous." The Russian leader also expressed disappointment regarding his recent interview with far-right media personality Tucker Carlson.

He said, “I honestly thought he would be aggressive and ask tough questions. I wasn’t only ready for that, I wanted that because it would allow me to give tough answers back." Meanwhile, Trump has been the subject of questions about his age and mental sharpness, with Biden's campaign implying that the former president may be grappling with cognitive decline and often referring to him as "confused." However, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates also commented on Putin's recent remarks. He said, "Mr. Putin should stay out of America’s elections."