MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin claimed Wednesday that Russia would certainly favor to see U.S. President Joe Biden win a 2nd term, defining him as even more skilled than Donald Trump.

Speaking in a meeting with a contributor of Russian state tv, Putin stated that he will certainly collaborate with any kind of U.S. leader that is chosen, yet kept in mind unquestionably that he would certainly favor Biden’s triumph when asked that would certainly be a far better selection from the viewpoint of Russia.

“Biden, he’s more experienced, more predictable, he’s a politician of the old formation,” Putin claimed. “But we will work with any U.S. leader whom the American people trust.”

Asked regarding supposition on Biden’s wellness problems, Putin reacted that “I’m not a doctor and I don’t consider it proper to comment on that.”

Biden’s group functioned to relieve Democratic worries over alarm systems elevated by an unique advise regarding Biden’s age and memory. They can be found in a record identifying that Biden would certainly not be billed with any kind of criminal task for having categorized records after he left workplace.

Putin kept in mind that the discuss Biden’s wellness comes as “the election campaign is gaining speed in the U.S., and it’s taking an increasingly sharp course.”

He included that accusations of Biden’s illness were additionally flowing at the time when they fulfilled in Switzerland in June 2021, including that he saw the in contrast and saw the U.S. leader in a good condition.

“They talked about him being incapacitated, but I saw nothing of the kind,” Putin claimed. “Yes, he was peeking at his papers, to be honest, I was peeking at mine, not a big deal.”

At the same time, Putin noted that he sees the Biden administration policy as wrong.

Russia-West ties have plunged to their lowest levels since the Cold War era after Putin sent his troops into Ukraine in February 2022.

“I believe that the position of the current administration is badly flawed and wrong, and I have told President Biden about that,” Putin claimed.

Putin has claimed that he has sent troops into Ukraine to protect Russian speakers there and to prevent a threat to Russia’s security posed by Ukraine’s bid to join NATO. Ukraine and its Western allies have denounced Moscow’s action as an unprovoked act of aggression.

Putin argued that Moscow was forced to act after Ukraine and its allies refused to fulfill a 2015 agreement to grant more powers to separatist territories in eastern Ukraine, where Moscow-backed separatists launched a rebellion in 2014.

“We only can regret that we didn’t act earlier, thinking that we are dealing with decent people,” Putin said.

Asked about Trump’s statement on Saturday, in which he said he once warned he would allow Russia to do whatever it wants to NATO member nations that are “delinquent” in devoting 2% of their gross domestic product to defense, Putin responded that it’s up to the U.S. to determine its role in the alliance.

Trump’s statement sharply contrasted with Biden’s pledge “to defend every inch of NATO territory,” as the alliance commits all members to do in case of attack. It shocked many in Europe, drawing a pledge from Poland, France and Germany to bolster Europe’s security and defense power.

Putin noted that Trump’s statement followed his policy during his first term when he prodded NATO allies in Europe to increase their defense spending.

“He has his own view on how relations with allies should develop,” Putin said about Trump. ”From his point of view, there is some logic in this, while from the point of view of the Europeans, there is no logic at all, and they would like the U.S. to keep carrying out some functions they have fulfilled since the formation of NATO free of charge.”

He defined NATO as a “U.S. foreign policy tool,” including that “if the U.S. thinks that it no longer needs this tool it’s up to it to decide.”

Asked regarding his perceptions from his recently’s meeting with previous Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Putin claimed he anticipated Carlson to be a lot more hostile. Putin made use of the meeting to press his story on the combating in Ukraine, desire Washington to acknowledge Moscow’s rate of interests and press Kyiv to take a seat for talks.

“I expected him to be aggressive and ask the so-called tough questions, and I wasn’t only ready for it but wanted it because it would have given me a chance to respond sharply,” Putin claimed.

Carlson didn’t ask Putin regarding battle criminal activities Russian soldiers have actually been implicated of in Ukraine, or regarding his ruthless suppression on dissent.

“He didn’t allow me to do what I was ready for,” Putin claimed, defining Carlson as a “dangerous man.”