President Vladimir Putin did not wake up in the middle of the night to watch the U.S. presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, and the Kremlin will not comment on internal U.S. politics, according to a statement on Friday.
Putin has expressed indifference to the outcome of the November election.
His spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated this stance, emphasizing that Russia has more pressing matters to attend to.
“Well, look, I don’t think you expect the president of Russia might set an alarm clock, wake up before morning and watch the debates in the United States of America?” Peskov told reporters when asked if Putin had watched the debate.
“We have a lot of issues that are really important for our country, which are relevant for us.
These are the issues that our president is dealing with.
“Debates in the United States are not part of the main issues on the agenda.”
The debate saw Biden delivering a shaky performance, raising questions about his suitability for a second term due to his age.
Russia was a significant topic as both candidates aimed to demonstrate their toughness on foreign policy. Trump argued that a respected U.S. president would have deterred Putin from invading Ukraine.
Biden retorted: “Go ahead, let Putin go in and control Ukraine, and then move on to Poland and other places. See what happens then. He (Trump) has no idea what the hell he’s talking about.”
Despite attempts to downplay its importance, the U.S. election’s outcome is crucial for Russia as it will influence Washington’s support for Ukraine against Moscow.
In a February interview, Putin stated his willingness to work with any U.S. president but expressed a preference for Biden, describing him as “a more experienced, predictable person, a politician of the old school.”
Some viewed this as a strategic comment, noting Trump’s past reluctance to criticize Putin and his recent remarks suggesting he might encourage Russia to pressure NATO members.
Earlier this month, Putin stated that Russia did not care who the next U.S. president would be, asserting that it would not change much for Moscow.
However, he remarked on the U.S. court system being used politically against Trump.
Some Russian politicians, like former president Dmitry Medvedev, have questioned Biden’s mental capacity.
While Putin has not directly attacked Biden’s age, he acknowledged the ongoing discussions.
“When I met with Biden in Switzerland – true, that was several years, three years ago – people were already saying he wasn’t up to it.
“I didn’t see anything of the kind,” Putin said in February. Shortly after, Biden called Putin a “crazy SOB.”