INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday he supported Kamala Harris in November's United States presidential election, an apparent
wry remark a day after the United States issued indictments accusing Moscow of vote interference.Putin regularly comments on political and
social issues in the United States, often in a mocking way.He said last year that the United States political system was "rotten" and that
Washington could not lecture other countries about democracy.United States officials have repeatedly warned of efforts by foreign powers to
meddle in the upcoming United States election, accusing Moscow of seeking to influence United States ballots dating back to the 2016
contest between Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton."Firstly, [United States President Joe] Biden recommended all his supporters support Mrs
Harris," Putin said during a question and answer session at Russia's Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.Biden withdrew from the race in
July amid concerns about his age and health, endorsing Vice President Harris to top the Democratic Party's ticket."Here, we are going to
do that too, we're going to support her," Putin told the audience, with a wry smile."She laughs so contagiously that it shows that
everything is fine with her," the Russian leader said."[Former United States President Donald] Trump has imposed as many sanctions on
Russia as any president has ever imposed before, and if Harris is doing well, perhaps she will refrain from such actions."In February, Putin
backed Biden over Trump, calling the current president more "predictable." The White House called on Putin to "stay out" of United States
elections in response.Trump has said he will end the Ukraine conflict within "24 hours" if he is re-elected and has praised Putin as a "very
smart cookie" who had repeatedly outsmarted the United States.Putin said in July that he took Trump's comments about bringing a quick end
to the fighting "quite seriously," and denounced the former real-estate magnate's convictions in the United States as "persecution."Both
leaders' comments have sparked suspicion Putin would be more sympathetic to a Trump presidency, but the Kremlin has insisted whoever wins
will make no difference to the Ukraine conflict.Putin's comments came a day after the United States indicted two employees of the
state-run Russian news network RT and slapped sanctions on its top editors.The 10 individuals and two entities sanctioned by the United
States Treasury Department included RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan and her deputy Elizaveta Brodskaia.Washington accused them of
trying to influence the upcoming United States ballot, an accusation that the Russian foreign ministry denounced as false."It is an obvious
operation, an information campaign..
that was long prepared and that is needed ahead of the last stage of the electoral cycle," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told
state news agency RIA Novosti.She added that "of course, [a response] is being prepared," warning that it will be harsh and that it will
make "everyone shudder."Most United States media have downsized or pulled their staff from Russia since Moscow launched its Ukraine
offensive amid laws targeting independent reporting on the conflict.
