President Vladimir Putin called the criminal cases against Donald Trump good for Russia and an indication of the American system’s “rottenness,” in wide-ranging remarks Tuesday that also touched on the war in Ukraine and Elon Musk.
The Russian leader for years has demonstrated an ability to exploit political divisions within Western nations, often by messaging to conservatives abroad that he is aligned with them in a global fight against liberal values.
His remarks Tuesday, made at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, in southeastern Russia, appeared aimed at lending firepower to the Republican outcry over the prosecutions of Trump, who has long expressed public admiration for the Russian leader and has helped encourage a sizable Moscow-friendly contingent within the GOP.
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Putin said that the prosecution of Trump was a “good thing” because it showed “the rottenness of the American political system, which cannot pretend to teach others about democracy.”
“Everything that is happening to Trump is a politically motivated persecution of a political rival. That’s what it is,” he said. “And it’s being done before the eyes of the U.S. public and the whole world. They’ve just exposed their internal problems.”
The cases lay bare “who is fighting us,” Putin added.
Trump has continued to express his admiration for Putin after leaving office, and last year called the Russian leader’s decision to invade Ukraine “pretty smart.”
On Tuesday, Putin expressed his own admiration for Musk, the billionaire founder of SpaceX whose influence in the Ukraine war has in recent days come under scrutiny.
Musk acknowledged last week that he had thwarted a Ukrainian attack on Russia’s Black Sea naval fleet in 2022 by refusing to let the Ukrainian military use his satellite network, Starlink, to guide its drones — provoking a furious response from a top official in Kyiv and renewing questions about the global power wielded by a multibillionaire business owner.
The billionaire entrepreneur is an “active, talented businessman,” Putin said, noting that all around the world Musk is recognized as an “outstanding person” in private business. The description resembled the way the Russian leader first described Trump as a “brilliant and talented” individual when he launched his U.S. presidential run in 2015.
The comments came as Putin prepared to meet with North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, who arrived in Russia on Tuesday, the Kremlin said. Russian news reports have speculated that the meeting could take place at the Vostochny Cosmodrome, a space launch center in the Amur region. Putin confirmed Tuesday that he would visit the facility but did not say he would host Kim there.
Here is some of what the Russian leader said:
— Talks with Ukraine: Asked to comment on Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s comments that he sees no indication that Putin is interested in “meaningful diplomacy,” Putin said that Ukraine should rescind a ban on negotiations with Russia while Putin is in power. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a decree in September 2022 declaring talks with Putin impossible, but left open the possibility of negotiations with Russia.
— Military recruitment: Some 270,000 Russians have voluntarily signed up for service in the past six to seven months, with 1,000 to 1,500 more signing up each day, Putin claimed, in the latest sign that he intends Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to continue. He skirted a question about the possibility of another round of mobilization to replenish Russian forces.
— China: Western nations are trying to restrain China’s development because they see how the country, under Xi Jinping’s leadership, is developing by leaps and bounds, Putin said. “They are doing everything to slow the development of China, but this will not be possible,” he said, adding: “They are late. The train has left the station.” Putin has forged closer ties with Xi, in part to overcome Western sanctions, and the two leaders declared an enduring economic partnership after talks this year in Moscow.
— Arkady Volozh: The co-founder of Russian tech company Yandex, who condemned Russia’s war in Ukraine as barbaric, was likely “forced to make certain statements” in order to be on good terms with authorities in Israel, where he moved after leaving Russia. “Well, God bless him, may he have a good life there,” Putin added. Volozh resigned from his post as the CEO of Yandex, often described as Russia’s Google, last year after the European Union placed him under sanctions for “materially or financially” supporting the invasion.
— Capital flight: Putin called on business owners to keep their money inside Russia, warning them that “we see what is happening with capital, where it is moving.” He also said that Western governments’ seizures of Russian assets had “crossed all lines.” In July, a report from Russia’s central bank said $253 billion had been pulled out of Russia since the start of the war.
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