The White House has called on Russian President Putin not to comment on the American election and not to interfere in it. This was stated by the White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby during an audio briefing, UNN reports with reference to Voice of America.
When asked by journalists to comment on Putin's alleged support for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in the U.S. presidential election, Kirby said: "Putin should stop talking about our elections. Period. He should not favor anyone - this or that. The only people who should be determining who the next president of the United States is are the American people. So we would really appreciate it if Mr. Putin would A) stop talking about our election and B) stop interfering in it.
On Thursday, September 9, during the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, Putin announced his support for Harris to the applause and laughter of the host and the audience: "Our favorite, so to speak, was the current President Biden. He was withdrawn from the race, but he recommended that his supporters support Harris. And we will do the same, we will support her..."
In addition, Putin added that Harris "laughs distinctly and infectiously," which indicates that "she is doing well.
"Trump has imposed as many sanctions and restrictions on Russia as any president before him. If Ms. Harris is doing well, maybe she will refrain from doing so," Putin said.
As reported by Voice of America, on Wednesday, the Biden administration accused Russia of large-scale attempts to influence the US presidential election, including by spreading disinformation and engaging American influencers who, sometimes without realizing it, spread propaganda from Russian state media.