Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, the Russian president reiterated his support for President Joe Biden and said he would follow his advice by supporting Harris.

“I told you, our favorite, if I may say so, was the current president, Mr. Biden. He was removed from the race, but he advised all his supporters to support Ms. Harris. So we will do it as well. We will root for her,” he said, drawing applause and laughter from the audience.

PUTIN: “We had a favorite, Mr. Biden, but he was yanked from the race. Now that he’s not participating in the election campaign, he recommended supporting Kamala Harris. So, that is what we are going to do… Her laugh is so fascinating. It means that everything is good” pic.twitter.com/DCjp51pLK1

— COMBATE |🇵🇷 (@upholdreality) September 5, 2024

“Secondly, she has such an expressive and infectious laugh that it means she is doing well,” Putin continued with a smirk.

The Russian president also added jabs against former President Donald Trump.

“Trump introduced so many restrictions and sanctions against Russia, like no other president had ever introduced before him. And if Ms. Harris is doing well, perhaps she will refrain from doing anything like that,” he added.

Putin said that whatever the case, “the choice is up to the American people, and we will respect that choice.”

Putin’s remarks appeared to be tongue-in-cheek, drawing laughter from the interviewer and crowd. Previously, however, he elaborated on his position of supporting Biden over Trump, arguing that the former was more predictable and easier to deal with.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov gave a similar response last week when speaking to Russian media.

“We have no candidate. But, of course, the Democrats are more predictable. And what Putin said about Biden’s predictability applies to almost all Democrats, including Ms. Harris,” he answered when asked who “their candidate” was.

Putin’s remarks came after the U.S. Department of Justice accused Russia of waging an election interference campaign, paying a conservative media organization $10 million.

Other Russians have trolled the United States over the news and latched on to Putin’s remarks — the Russia-affiliated RaHDit hacker group released a statement saying it would support Harris if the $10 million were donated to charity.

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“We have read about your proposal to interfere in the U.S. elections this year, even though we did not plan to do so initially,” the statement published on the group’s Telegram read. “We suggest that you transfer $10 million that is offered for information about RaHDit’s intervention to any Russian charity organization (and show us the receipt).”

“And for our part, we will definitely intervene as soon as the transfer is confirmed,” it continued. “We promise to provide you with a full report of the intervention, especially since our president has indicated that we need to support Kamala Harris!”