Enlarge image

Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin in a TV interview: "He is a politician of the old school"

Photo: Alexander Kazakov / AP

Donald Trump is preparing to become US President again. During his first term in office, many feared that he would be too close to Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin - including Russian influence on US politics. Now, however, the Russian president is trying to appease: According to Putin, another term in office for US President Joe Biden is more desirable to him than a return of Trump.

When asked by a journalist in Moscow on Wednesday which winner Russia would like in the US presidential election on November 5th, Putin replied: "Biden, he is more experienced. He is predictable, he is a politician of the old school." But the Russian government will "work with any US leader in whom the US people have trust," Putin assured. At the same time, he criticized current US foreign policy as “extremely harmful and wrong.”

“Hostile towards one’s own country”

Putin also criticized German politics in the interview, especially Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. The Green politician is not only hostile towards Russia, "she is also hostile towards her own country." It is difficult to imagine that a politician "of this rank would be so contemptuous of the economic interests of her country and her people," said Putin. He didn't elaborate on what he meant exactly.

The background can be assumed to be the traffic light government's policy of making Germany independent of Russian gas because of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Baerbock makes no secret of her criticism of Russia and advocates strong European support for Ukraine.

With regard to US politics, the 71-year-old Putin also commented on Biden's old age; the US President is 81. »When I met Mr. Biden three years ago, people were actually already talking about his shortcomings, but I "I haven't seen anything like that." According to US polls, there are major concerns among voters in the United States about the Democrat's ability to hold office given his advanced age. It is doubtful whether Putin's encouragement is helpful at this point.

Dispute over the role of NATO

In general, Putin's statements do not really fit with Russia's policy in recent years, which has relied on the Republican Donald Trump. Trump boasts of his supposedly good relationship with Putin. In the interview, the Kremlin chief addressed Trump's much-criticized statement that he would not provide American support to NATO allies with low defense spending in the event of a Russian attack. Trump has his own view of how the relationship between the US and its allies should develop, Putin said. The only thing that is illogical about this is the attitude of the Europeans: "They want the USA to continue to protect them for free."

Biden has repeatedly criticized Putin sharply. He is a staunch supporter of Ukraine, against which Russia has been waging a military offensive for almost two years. Biden's Republican predecessor Trump, however, has repeatedly expressed his admiration for the Kremlin chief. Trump also said at a rally on Saturday that he would not come to the aid of NATO countries that do not spend enough on defense in an attack. He would then even encourage Russia to do “whatever they want” with them.

This triggered sharp criticism from the USA's partner countries and US President Biden. “For God’s sake, that’s stupid, that’s shameful, that’s dangerous, that’s un-American,” Biden said.

The US President, for his part, repeatedly gives rise to discussions with slips of the tongue and mix-ups. Biden recently confused the late former Chancellor Helmut Kohl with the former Chancellor Angela Merkel, and also the late French head of state François Mitterrand with the incumbent Emmanuel Macron.

The Republicans enjoy exploiting Biden's verbal missteps - even though their prospective, 77-year-old presidential candidate Trump also repeatedly raises eyebrows by confusing names and making bizarre statements. A new edition of the presidential duel between Biden and Trump is expected in the fall. However, the Republican candidate has not yet been finally decided.

mrc/dpa/AFP