Trump considers it a 'compliment' that Putin prefers Biden to win U.S. elections

Speaking to supporters at a pre-election rally in North Charleston, South Carolina, Trump said that if re-elected, he would achieve "amazing" things, including quickly ending the war between Russia and Ukraine.

"President Putin of Russia has just given me a great compliment, actually," Trump said. "He's just said that he would much rather have Joe Biden as president than Trump. Now, that's a compliment. A lot of people said, 'Oh, gee, that's too bad.' No, no, that's a good thing."

Background

Earlier, Putin stated that given a choice between Biden and Trump, he would prefer the current president to win in November, adding that Biden is "more experienced."

"Biden, he's more experienced, more predictable, a politician of the old school. But we will work with any American leader trusted by the American people," said the Russian dictator.

Trump's pro-Russian rhetoric

At a rally in Conway, South Carolina, on February 10, Donald Trump stated that if re-elected, he would not defend NATO allies who "do not pay their bills." He refers to the NATO statute, which requires members to spend at least 2% of GDP on defense.

He also added that, on the contrary, he would encourage Russia to attack such states.

U.S. President Joe Biden criticized Trump's statement, adding that it is equivalent to bowing to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

At the same time, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stated that NATO countries would allocate record funds for defense in 2024.