Putin reveals who he wants to be the next US president

Asked about Joe Biden’s health issues, Putin responded ‘I’m not a doctor and I don’t consider it proper to comment on that’

President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G-20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany (AP)

President Vladimir Putin has said that he would prefer to see Joe Biden win a second term over Donald Trump.

Speaking in an interview with a correspondent of Russian state television, Mr Putin claimed he will work with any US leader who is elected, but noted unequivocally that he would prefer Mr Biden’s victory when asked who would be a better choice from the point of view of Russia.

“Biden, he’s more experienced, more predictable, he’s a politician of the old formation,” Putin said. “But we will work with any US leader whom the American people trust.”

Asked about speculation on Mr Biden’s health issues, Mr Putin responded that “I’m not a doctor and I don’t consider it proper to comment on that.”

Mr Putin noted that the talk about Mr Biden’s health comes as “the election campaign is gaining speed in the US, and it’s taking an increasingly sharp course”.

He added that allegations of Mr Biden’s health problems were also circulating at the time when they met in Switzerland in June 2021, adding that he witnessed the contrary and saw the US leader in a good shape.

US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

“They talked about him being incapacitated, but I saw nothing of the kind,” Mr Putin said. “Yes, he was peeking at his papers, to be honest, I was peeking at mine, not a big deal.”

At the same time, Mr Putin noted that he sees the Biden administration policy as wrong.

Russia-West ties have plunged to their lowest levels since the Cold War era after Mr Putin sent his troops into Ukraine in February 2022.

“I believe that the position of the current administration is badly flawed and wrong, and I have told President Biden about that,” Putin said.

Asked about Mr Trump’s statement on Saturday, in which he said he once warned he would allow Russia to do whatever it wants to Nato member nations that are “delinquent” in devoting 2% of their gross domestic product to defence, Mr Putin responded that it is up to the US to determine its role in the alliance.

Mr Trump’s statement sharply contrasted with Mr Biden’s pledge “to defend every inch of NATO territory,” as the alliance commits all members to do in case of attack.

“He has his own view on how relations with allies should develop,” Mr Putin said about Mr Trump.

“From his point of view, there is some logic in this, while from the point of view of the Europeans, there is no logic at all, and they would like the US to keep carrying out some functions they have fulfilled since the formation of Nato free of charge.”

He described NATO as a “US foreign policy tool,” adding that “if the US thinks that it no longer needs this tool it’s up to it to decide.”

Putin has also criticised ex-Fox News host Tucker Carlson for his lack of “sharp” questions in his interview last week in Moscow.

Tucker Carlson speaks to Vladimir Putin (Screenshot / Tucker Carlson)

The Kremlin has undertaken a crackdown on dissent over the war in Ukraine, with prison sentences being handed out to many of those who criticise the army or Russian leadership.

The Kremlin said Putin agreed to an interview with Carlson because his lack of criticism of Russia’s invasion during his Fox News run was different from the “one-sided” reporting of the Ukraine conflict by many news outlets, with Western nations having spent billions of pounds to help Ukraine fight off Putin’s forces.

Despite the stage-managed nature of the interview, talking to pro-Kremlin journalist Pavel Zarubin, Putin said he wanted Carlson to behave more “aggressively”, giving him at least a chance to reply just as pointedly. Mr Putin subjected his host to a half-hour lecture on history as he sat down for a rare first interview with an American journalist since before Russia invaded Ukraine nearly two years ago.

“To be honest, I thought that he would behave aggressively and ask so-called sharp questions. I was not just prepared for this, I wanted it, because it would give me the opportunity to respond in the same way,” the Russian president said in his first comments after the interview.

Putin said he was surprised the former Fox news anchor did not interrupt him more.