Putin weighs in on Biden-Trump debate

The Russian leader said he only saw “some fragments” of the face-off

The United States is a major world power, so its internal affairs inevitably affect global issues, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said, commenting on the recent televised clash between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

The Russian leader said he has more important things to do than follow the twists of domestic electoral politics in the US, when asked about last week’s debate at a Thursday press conference following the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Astana, Kazakhstan.

“I have enough to do, so I don’t really follow what’s going on there, especially through the comments in the media. They always have certain preferences: someone is for, someone is against,” Putin said, admitting however that he had seen “some fragments” of the debate.

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Earlier this year, Putin claimed that it would be better for Russia if Biden is reelected, describing the incumbent as “a more experienced and predictable person… a politician of the old sort” and waving off claims of the US leader’s cognitive decline.

Asked whether the debate, described as “disastrous” for Biden even by allies, has somehow affected his opinion, Putin insisted that “nothing has changed,” adding “didn’t we all know what might happen?”

“But this is, in fact, their internal business,” Putin stated, reiterating Moscow’s readiness to work with whoever the Americans elect – but noting that the world can’t stay completely “indifferent” to US politics.

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“In general, of course… it is impossible to turn away from this, especially since the United States remains a great power with well-known capabilities in the field of economics, security, and military,” and as a permanent member of the UN Security Council can affect global affairs, including the situation in Ukraine, Putin explained.

As for Trump, Putin said he takes his statements “quite seriously,” when asked about the former US president’s repeated claims that he knows how to stop the bloodshed in Ukraine, and recent reports that he might halt NATO expansion.

“Of course, I am not familiar with his possible suggestions on how he is going to do this – and this, of course, is the key question. But I have no doubt that he says it sincerely, and we support it,” Putin said.