Putin was joking when he expressed support for Kamala Harris Kremlin official claims

On 5th September. Russian President seemingly appeared to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as the candidate the Kremlin wanted to win the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election. However, Putin's endorsement was only a joke according to the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

“It was a joke,” Lavrov remarked while discussing Putin's remarks during an interview with Sky News Arabia. “President Putin has a good sense of humor. He often jokes during his statements and interviews," he added.

“I see no long-term differences in our attitude to the current or previous elections in the United States, because it is ruled by the notorious ‘deep state’,” Lavrov continued according to a quote published by NBC News. So what did Putin say about Vice President Kamala Harris?

On September 5th, Putin seemingly appeared to back Harris for President while speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.

Putin made headlines around the world when he suggested that Russia supported the U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in the upcoming American election over former president and Republican nominee Donald Trump. 

Whether or not Putin was kidding is difficult to parse from his comments, several news outlets reported that the Russian President was smiling when he stated that Russia planned to support Harris.

“First of all, [Joe] Biden recommended all his supporters to support Ms. Harris. We previously said Biden was our preferred candidate. So now we will do as he said, we will support her,” Putin explained according to a translation from Politico. 

“Second, she laughs so expressively and infectiously. That means that she is doing well,” Putin continued before he went on to explain that Donald Trump proved to be a far more difficult president for Russia than Joe Biden and his administration. 

“Trump has imposed more sanctions on Russia than any president has imposed before, and if Harris is doing well, then perhaps she will refrain from doing this kind of thing,” the Russian president joked. However, his comments may have been genuine. 

Politico reported that Putin previously stated in February that Biden was the preferable candidate for Russia since he was more experienced and more predictable a politician. But some analysts don’t believe that Harris in office is preferable to Moscow.  

“Of course, it would be absurd to suggest that Kamala Harris, or any other high-ranking official in the Biden administration, would serve Putin or Russia’s interests better than Donald Trump,” Vladyslav Faraponov of Ukrainian-based Institute of American Studies told Politico. 

“This seems to be yet another public cover for Russia’s ongoing attempts to influence U.S. elections,” Faraponov added. “With early voting beginning in late September, Putin clearly understands the timing.” 

While Harris didn't immediately comment on Putin’s remarks, Trump was quick to voice his confusion over the Russian President’s support for Harris while speaking on September 5th at the Economic Club of New York. 

"Putin came out today; he endorsed Kamala," the former president said. "And I didn't know, was I supposed to call him up and say 'thank you very much; I appreciate it?'" Trump added before revealing his mixed opinion on the matter according to Newsweek. 

“But he endorsed Kamala—I don't know—I don't know exactly what to say about that. I don't know if I'm insulted or if he did me a favor,” Trump continued with a confused look on his face as he explained his predicament.

Newsweek reported that Trump has frequently touted the close relationship he believed he had with Putin, even suggesting the Russian President never would have chosen to invade Ukraine if he were president. But that relationship may just be smoke and mirrors.

Whether or not Putin’s supposed support for Harris was an official endorsement of her for president in the upcoming election is a difficult question to answer, especially after Sergei Lavrov provided his opinion. But one expert Newsweek quoted at the time Putin made his comments noted that Moscow doesn’t tend to provide traditional endorsements.

“The Russians don't really endorse anyone in the traditional sense. When it comes to preference, Putin and his regime prefer Kamala to deal with as a future U.S. president," Defense Intelligence Agency officer and author of Putin's Playbook Rebekah Koffler explained to Fox News. 

Koffler added that Putin likely thinks he can manipulate Harris more easily than Trump, whom she said the Russian believed was “unpredictable and difficult to read.” Koffler concluded that Putin’s statement was essentially meant to mess with the United States.

"By issuing these statements, the Russians are just messing with us, specifically with the Harris team," Koffler added. "It's a classic influence operation to unbalance your adversary by mocking, teasing, and pleasing them, or rather, appearing to please."

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