Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that people should judge for themselves if Russian President Vladimir Putin was teasing, trolling, or being entirely serious when he said he would prefer Kamala Harris as U.S. president over Donald Trump.
Putin expressed a preference for Harris while he was attending the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on Thursday.
“I told you our favorite, if you can call it that, was the current President Mr. Biden. He was removed from the race, but he recommended all his supporters to support Ms. Harris. So we will do the same. We will support her,” Putin said.
“She laughs so expressively and infectiously that it means that everything is fine with her,” he added with a smirk.
Putin went on to add the usual rote disclaimer from Russian officials that they have no interest in the outcome of the U.S. election, and would never dream of interfering with it.
Asked about Putin’s remarks during a press conference on Friday, Peskov said the affairs of Russia were Putin’s priority.
“American affairs cannot be, and are not, a concern that is at the top of the president’s agenda,” Peskov said.
“When he is asked about international affairs, he comments on them. As for his tone, people abroad who are interested must try to interpret that,” the Kremlin spokesman said.
The Biden-Harris White House appeared to take Putin seriously on Friday, angrily telling the Russian leader to stay out of the U.S. election.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby became vexed when a reporter asked him about Putin’s “preference for the outcome of the presidential race for the vice president.”
“Mr. Putin ought to stop talking about our elections, period. He shouldn’t be favoring anybody one way or another. The only people who should get to determine who the next president of the United States is is the American people,” Kirby huffed.
“We would greatly appreciate it if Mr. Putin would, A, stop talking about our election and, B, stop interfering in it,” Kirby said, alluding to fresh allegations of Russian election interference.