Vladimir Putin’s press secretary has casually dismissed the dramatic news Joe Biden has pulled out of the presidential race.
Although the Russian president has repeatedly said he would prefer Biden to be in the White House, the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the SHOT news outlet: “The elections are still four months away, and that is a long period of time in which a lot can change.
“We need to be patient and carefully monitor what happens. The priority for us is the special military operation.”
Putin has been calling the Ukraine war “the special military operation” ever since he invaded Russia’s European neighbour.
The Russian president has often said he would prefer Biden over Trump, despite the outgoing president’s persistent criticism of Putin and his regime.
As Putin said earlier this year: “Biden, he’s more experienced, more predictable, he’s a politician of the old formation. But we will work with any US leader whom the American people trust.”
Donald Trump, on the other hand, has been much more enthusiastic about Putin in the past, calling him a “genius” and savvy” over his invasion of Ukraine, and often talking up their supposedly strong bond.
The Republican nominee has also promised to end the Russia-Ukraine war if re-elected.
He has not said how he intends to do so, but it is widely believed he would allow Russia to formally take the Ukrainian land it has already annexed illegally.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on social media that he respected Biden’s “tough but strong decision” to withdraw from the race.
He said: “We will always be thankful for President Biden’s leadership.
“He supported our country during the most dramatic moment in history, assisted us in preventing Putin from occupying our country and has continued to support us throughout this terrible war.”
Zelenskyy and Trump spoke last week over the phone for the first time since the ex-president left the White House. Reports from both sides said it went well.