As the 2024 presidential race continues to heat up, world leaders are preparing for the second term of either Donald Trump or Joe Biden. Among those who has stated he would rather see the latter win in November is Vladimir Putin.
Durign a recent interview with a state broadcaster, the Russian leader said Biden was easier to keep up with compared to his Republican opponent, and dismissed concerns about his cognitive abilities.
As the Financial Times reports, Putin pointed out that Biden was "more experienced" and "predictable" than Trump, calling the Democrat an "old-school politician."
When asked about the president's age and mental state, Putin suggested attacks were only "getting more and more vicious" because it was election season.
"They were already saying Biden wasn't competent [in 2021]," he added, "but I saw nothing of the sort. Yes, he looked at his notes, and to be honest, I looked at mine. No big deal."
Putin went on to recall an instance where Biden was attacked for having hit his head on the entrance to his helicopter as he was disembarking, saying, "Who of us hasn't banged their head on something?"
As CNN reports, while pushing for more funding for Ukraine on Tuesday, Biden slammed Trump over comments the former president made about NATO over the weekend, and accused him of appeasing Putin.
"No other president in our history has bowed down to a Russian dictator," Biden said. "Let me say this as clearly as I can: I never will. For God's sake, it’s dumb. It’s shameful. It’s dangerous. It’s un-American."
At a rally in South Carolina on Saturday, Trump said he was in favor of letting Russia do "whatever the hell they want" to NATO member countries that don't spend a certain amount on defense.
During the aforementioned interview, Putin said he agreed with Trump on NATO funding, noting that "there is probably some logic in his point of view."
"There is no logic from the Europeans' point of view," he added. "They want the US to keep carrying out some functions for free, as they have done since NATO was founded."
