Putin made the remarks, smiling, at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia. “I told you, we have a ‘favorite,’ so to speak, was the incumbent president, Mr. [Joe] Biden. He was removed from the race, but he recommended all his supporters support Ms. Harris. So we will do that, too. We will support her,” Putin said in remarks cited by Russian state news agency TASS. “Ultimately, the choice is with the American people, and we will respect this choice,” Putin added. “As for the favorites, it’s not for us to determine this. This is still the choice of the American people.” Putin jokingly said, “She laughs so expressively and infectiously that it means that she is doing well.” Keir Giles, a Russia expert at Chatham House and author of Russia's War on Everybody, told CBS News that Putin’s demeanor during the remarks was typical of the Russian leader. "It's not surprising that Putin said this with a smirk on his face, that is what he tends to do when engaging in the most blatant and overt trolling of American audiences," Giles said. "It is a burst of trolling, and he's done it before.” Putin also criticized Trump, noting that the former president imposed more restrictions and sanctions on Russia than any other U.S. leader. The Russian leader’s comments came just hours after the Biden administration accused Russia of attempting to interfere in the U.S. election. However, a bipartisan report downplayed concerns over Russian interference, suggesting that U.S. intelligence agencies might be exaggerating the threat for political reasons. This is not the first time Putin has expressed a preference for Democrats. In February, he voiced support for Biden over Trump in the election. Giles dismisses such endorsements, labeling them part of the same trolling tactics seen with Harris. However, some Russian officials have given more serious interviews outlining a clear preference for one American political party over the other. Over the weekend, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow prefers Democratic candidates because Moscow believes that Democrats are more predictable than Republicans: “And what Putin said about Biden's predictability applies to almost all Democrats, including Ms. Harris.”Russian President Vladimir V. Putin expressed support for Vice President Kamala Harris rather than former President Donald J. Trump in the upcoming U.S. presidential election.
