Lisa Haseldine Lisa Haseldine

Why has Vladimir Putin endorsed Joe Biden?

Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden in Geneva, June 2021

Who does Vladimir Putin want to win the US presidential election this autumn? Last night, the Russian president gave an unexpected answer to that question.

In an interview on the Russian state TV channel VGTRK, Putin was asked ‘Who is better for us, Biden or Trump?’ The smirk on journalist Pavel Zarubin’s face suggested he thought the question would be a slam dunk. And yet, to Zarubin’s visible surprise, Putin threw him a curve ball: Putin would, in fact, prefer Joe Biden.

The enigmatic Russian president is a showman and he likes to stir the pot.

Following a few moments of somewhat intense eye contact, Putin elaborated: ‘He is a more experienced person, he is predictable, he is an old-school politician.’ He then added, ‘But we will work with any US leader who the American people decide to trust.’

Putin’s compliments didn’t stop there.

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