Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday waded into the debate over the criminal charges faced by Republican election candidate Donald Trump, saying the cases against the former U.S. president amount to political “persecution” and expose U.S. weakness.
“This shows the whole rottenness of the American political system, which cannot claim to teach others about democracy,” Putin said in an appearance at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, an annual event aimed at showcasing the Russian government’s development plans. “What’s happening with Trump is a persecution of a political rival for political motives.”
Putin’s comments echo repeated statements made by Trump, who faces a total of 91 charges at the federal and state levels over conspiring to undo the 2020 election results as well as the improper storage of classified documents at his Florida estate and hush-money payments to a porn star.
Also…
Putin Praises Elon Musk as an ‘Outstanding Person’ and ‘Talented Businessman’
“Elon Musk … is undoubtedly an outstanding person. It must be admitted. I think the whole world admits it. He is an active, talented businessman,” Putin said, according to a Reuters translation.
Musk said last week that he refused an emergency request by the Ukrainian government to extend coverage of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites to Sevastopol in Crimea, a region Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
The Russian president added that Moscow is “willing to develop” support for private businesses in the country. The comments come after Russia’s first space launch to the moon in nearly 50 years, failed last month after the Luna-25 lander crashed onto the lunar surface. The flop was seen as a major setback for Russia’s space program just days before India successfully landed its first spacecraft on the moon.
