President Vladimir Putin of Russia on Thursday made a teasing comment suggesting that Russia would prefer Kamala Harris to win the 2024 US presidential election.PUTIN AND HARRIS

Putin, who cited Harris’s “infectious” laugh as a reason for Russia’s preference over former President Donald Trump, made the remark just a day after the US Justice Department charged two Russian media executives with an alleged illegal scheme to sway the November election through pro-Russian propaganda.

Earlier this year, before President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, Putin had made a comment widely interpreted as insincere, stating a preference for Biden over Trump due to Biden’s predictability as an “old school” politician.

The US intelligence agencies believe Moscow actually favours Trump, who is perceived as less committed to supporting Ukraine against Russia.

At an economic forum in Russia’s far east, Putin said the choice of the American president is ultimately up to the American people, Reuters reports.

However, he added, in a playful tone, that since Biden had recommended supporting Harris, Russia would follow suit.

This comment, made with a smile and received with applause from the audience, was accompanied by Putin’s praise of Harris’s laugh, which he described as a sign of her well-being and potential leniency towards Russia.

He contrasted this with Trump, who had imposed more sanctions on Russia than any previous US president.

According to Reuters’ report, Putin concluded by affirming respect for the American electoral decision.

The US intelligence has previously identified Russian efforts to support Trump and undermine Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election, although the Kremlin has repeatedly denied any interference.

The late Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner mercenary group, boasted in 2022 of ongoing Russian interference in US politics.

On Wednesday, the US Justice Department also filed money-laundering charges against two employees of Russian state broadcaster RT, accusing them of hiring a US company to produce online content aimed at influencing this year’s election.

In response, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced that Moscow would target US media.