Putin says Biden is better for Russia than a Trump presidency

President Joe Biden has been handed an endorsement from an unexpected and perhaps unwelcome source: The Kremlin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that his country would prefer to see the "more experienced" Biden in the White House for a second term than the Republican frontrunner, former President Donald Trump.

The comments, which may be taken more as mischievous meddling than serious statecraft, were the Russian leader's most direct in public on the upcoming U.S. presidential election. They follow Putin's much-talked-about interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

In an interview with Russian propagandist reporter Pavel Zarubin released Wednesday night, Putin did not hesitate when asked whether Biden or Trump was better for Russia.

“Biden,” Putin said. “He is a more experienced, predictable person, an old-school politician.”

But, he added, Moscow will work with any U.S. leader who has the trust of the American people.

The video of the interview was shared by Zarubin on his Telegram channel, and the transcript of Putin's comments was published on the Kremlin's website.

In the interview, Putin also touched on speculation around Biden’s mental fitness, saying he did not have the right to comment on the issue but that he did not notice anything out-of-the-ordinary during the leaders' meeting in Geneva in 2021.

“People were already saying then that he wasn’t up to it. I didn’t see anything of the kind,” Putin said.

Biden has long been open in his criticism of Putin, previously calling the Russian leader a “killer,” “murderous dictator” and “pure thug.” He spearheaded the Western response to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, including tough economic sanctions.

The U.S. has also been