Vladimir Putin has recently made his first public comments on the U.S. presidential campaign, predicting Trump’s reelection and poking fun at interference allegations. 

As the 2020 election approaches, Americans have expressed growing concerns that Russia might once again meddle in the polls, manipulating the outcome for their benefit. These concerns were further validated by a CIA assessment released earlier this month, confirming that Putin is likely continuing to approve and direct interference operations in favor of President Trump.

The FBI has also looked into these matters, publicly stating that the bureau has seen active efforts by the Russians to influence the election, mainly involving the publication of misinformation to damage the reputation of Joe Biden. The U.S. indictment of six Russian military intelligence hackers this month has further backed up these conclusions. 

Putin’s reaction was aired Wednesday on Russian state television in which he continued to deny influencing American politics in the first place during the 2016 campaign. He laughed off the recent accusations, joking that interference is not even necessary since this election’s disorderly voting process is already working in Russia’s favor.  

“There are strings we can pull,” Putin said. “But we don’t have to. You are pulling them for us. Polling stations are closing. You don’t know who to trust. You are divided.”

Seemingly playing to Trump’s side, Putin additionally expressed his feelings toward both candidates on Wednesday, criticizing what he deemed as Biden’s “sharp anti-Russian rhetoric” while praising Trump for improving relations between the two countries. 

He also addressed Biden’s reference to Trump as “Putin’s puppy”, insisting that this intended dig is actually a compliment, enhancing the “incredible influence and power” of Russia.

“Putin’s obsession with Russian power just proves that he is meddling once again, no matter how much he denies it,” said Senior Elise Kosoy. “I think we should trust the assertions from American intelligence officials that there is in fact Russian interference in the election and put effort into stopping it.”