imagine the leader of Russia Vladimir Putin the calculating authoritarian endorsing kamla Harris a progressive liberal for president of the United States seems absurd right but that's exactly what happened at the Eastern economic Forum in Vlados is this just another win for Harris or does Putin have a deeper strategy in mind why does Russia have any say in the US elections Putin's claim of supporting Harris over Trump might sound like a joke but it comes at a time when tensions between Russia and the US are Skyhigh earlier this year President Biden withdrew from the presidential race endorsing kamla Harris Putin who had previously praised Biden as an old school politician sarcastically declared Russia's support for Harris Putin said that although Biden is out of the race he urged his supporters to back Harris and Russia will do the same he emphasized that the decision ultimately lies with the American people and Russia will respect that choice Putin also remarked that Harris expressive and infectious laughter suggests she is doing well however he complained that Trump imposed more sanctions on Russia than any other president and if Harris is doing well perhaps she will avoid similar actions the Kremlin has shown caution regarding Harris's candidacy in July a Kremlin spokesman stated that Russia cannot yet assess her candidacy in terms of bilateral relations as her impact has been minimal Putin who has often praised former president Trump mentioned on state TV in February that Biden is more experienced more predictable than Trump why Putin might prefer Harris over Trump consider the history between Trump and Putin Trump imposed more sanctions on Russia than any previous President Putin's apparent support for Harris might be an attempt to avoid harsher penalties his comments about Harris potentially avoiding additional sanctions hint at this hope however is this truly support for Harris us intelligence suggests Moscow prefers Trump because he is seen as less committed to supporting Ukraine the irony is striking Putin endorsing Harris while Russian media promotes Trump could be a strategic distraction Putin likely knows his endorsement might hurt Harris's chances rather than help is this a tactic to keep Trump in the spotlight and provoke a negative reaction from American voters but the question is why has Putin not endorsed Trump publicly it seems bizarre considering that in 2021 Biden called Putin a killer and later a murderous dictator and a pure Thug Trump in contrast praised Putin calling him a genius Putin's support for Biden and Harris seems odd as us intelligence suggests he prefers a trump-led White House due to Trump's weaker support for Ukraine however Putin's backing of Biden is seen as a tactic to deflect claims that Trump is protin Trump called Putin's endorsement of Biden a great compliment sarcastically adding that Putin would have his dream of getting Ukraine because of Biden Trump has promised to end the Ukraine Russia War but hasn't provided details raising concerns he may let Moscow take Ukrainian territory Putin noted that Trump imposed heavy sanctions on Russia hoping Harris would refrain from doing so this isn't the first time Russia has meddled in US elections us intelligence found that Russia ran a disinformation campaign to boost Trump's 2016 campaign against Hillary Clinton the Kremlin denied meddling in US elections though Wagner mercenary founder said in 2022 we have interfered we are interfering and we will continue to interfere on Wednesday the US justice department charged two RT employees with money laundering for allegedly hiring a US company to influence this year's election through online content they were charged for laundering nearly $10 million authorities also seized numerous web domains used to spread Russian government propaganda Russia's foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria responded that Moscow would Target Us Media Putin's comments about Harris came just after these charges were filed but why what does Putin gain from all this interference the answer lies in Ukraine Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine has become a central issue in global politics Trump promised to end the war in 24 hours although he hadn't explained how us intelligence suggests that if Trump wins his administration might reduce Aid to Ukraine which could benefit Russia on the battle field so is Putin's support for Harris just a smoke screen to push American voters toward trump it sure seems that way however Putin's recent comments about us elections are likely more Mischief than truth with strained Moscow Washington relations Putin's endorsement of a candidate could harm rather than help their chances Putin may actually hope for a trump Victory which could lead to a reduction in US Aid to Ukraine and benefit Russia's position in the conflict despite Putin's claim that the election is a choice for the American people it's clear Russia is closely monitoring it Putin endorsing Harris for president seems like a far-fetched Ploy but it reveals much about the geopolitical chess game some right-wing commentators who have praised and repeated prot Trump propaganda are now seeing support for Harris Trump may use this to highlight who he claims Russia prefers as president so while Putin's support for Harris might look like a nod to American politics it's more likely a Strate IC distraction as always when it comes to international relations expect the unexpected and question the motives behind such surprising endorsements