Russia fears Harris winning US presidential election - WP
US Vice President Kamala Harris (Getty Images)
The sudden changes in US policy have come as a blow to many members of the Russian elite who follow relations between Moscow and the West, reports The Washington Post.
According to analysts, as well as current and former Russian officials, US President Joe Biden's refusal to run in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris turned the election race upside down. The Kremlin and its supporters believed that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump could have won if Biden had stayed in the race. This would have created a window of opportunity to resolve the war in Ukraine on Russia's terms.
“If Kamala Harris wins the election, it will be a huge disappointment for the Kremlin,” said Tatiana Stanovaya, founder of R.Politik, a Russian political consulting company now based in France.
She adds that if she comes, “all the windows will close shut.”
In contrast, the turmoil of Trump's presidency, his admiration for authoritarian rulers like Russian leader Vladimir Putin, and his attacks on the EU and NATO have been a gift to Russia. Trump's wild boast that he could end the war in Ukraine in one day implied that he could force Kyiv to surrender its territory.
Although Biden has sent unprecedented military and financial aid to Ukraine, Russian foreign policymakers view him as a predictable player, the media writes. A player who will not risk escalating direct military action with Russia and who understands and respects that Russia has a large nuclear arsenal.
Harris is largely unknown to the Russians and is viewed with alarm.
The media also added that Biden's dismissal from the election was not the first, but the second unpleasant surprise for Russia in Western politics. This refers to the defeat of the far-right National Rally party, which Moscow supported as a political ally, in the French parliamentary elections.
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have almost equal support among American voters. They are separated by only 1%. Thus, among the likely voters, 47% of Americans are ready to vote for Trump and 46% for Harris.
Some Republicans are unhappy with Trump's choice of Senator J.D. Vance as a vice presidential candidate. In their opinion, this choice may not only not help but also harm the party's chances of winning in November.
