Kremlin reacted today to the possibility of Kamala Harris running for president of The United States, stating that the current vice president has not visibly contributed to relations with Moscow, except by making some hostile statements, reported Reuters, quoted by BTA.
US President Joe Biden withdrew from the election race yesterday after mounting pressure from Democrats. He announced his support for Vice President Kamala Harris to face Republican nominee Donald Trump in the November election.
Asked if Russia was surprised by Biden's decision, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that events in the US in recent years had taught Moscow not to be surprised by anything and that Russia had different priorities.
"In recent years, what is happening in the US has taught us not to be surprised by anything," Peskov told reporters. "We're not too surprised," he added. According to him, the priority for Russia is the achievement of the goals of the so-called special military operation in Ukraine, which President Putin ordered in February 2022.
The Kremlin cannot conclude what Harris' candidacy means for relations between the two countries, as Moscow has so far seen no input from her side as far as Russia-US ties are concerned, other than making some hostile statements , said Peskov.
"At this time, we cannot make an assessment of Harris's potential candidacy from the point of view of bilateral relations, as so far her contribution to our bilateral relations has not been noticed," the Kremlin spokesman said.
"There were statements that were saturated with quite hostile rhetoric towards our country, but its actions are neither a plus nor a minus for our relations,", he said.
Harris has repeatedly expressed support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and accused Russia of leading a "barbaric and inhumane" war.
When asked if Putin and Harris had met or had any contact, Peskov stated that "to be honest, I don't remember any contact between President Putin and Harris.