Why Russia's Putin backing Biden for the US presidency is not what it seems

The Russian president told Russian TV correspondent Pavel Zarubin that Joe Biden was an "old-style politician"

I'm sure that ahead of the US election President Biden will welcome messages of support.

But he won't have expected this one.

"For us, who's better, Biden or Trump?" Russian TV correspondent Pavel Zarubin asked President Putin.

"Biden," Vladimir Putin replied in a flash. "He's more experienced, he's predictable, he's an old-style politician."

There was more.

The Kremlin leader defended President Biden's ability to do the job.

"When I met Biden in Switzerland - true, it was a few years ago - some people were already saying that he was unable to function. I didn't see anything of the kind.

"Yes, he looked down at his papers. To be honest, I did the same. It means nothing. And as for [Biden] bumping his head getting out of a helicopter on one occasion, well, who can say they've never bumped their head?"

These words coming from a Kremlin leader whom President Biden has labelled "a murderous dictator", "a pure thug", and accused of having "a craven lust for land and power".

• Putin expresses preference for Biden over Trump

So, no hard feelings, then, from the Kremlin? All forgiven?

I very much doubt it.

Compare what Joe Biden has said about Vladimir Putin and Russia to what Donald Trump has said in the past.

Mr Trump has called President Putin "smart" and "a genius". He has even suggested he would "encourage" Russia to attack any Nato member that fails to pay its bills as part of the Western military alliance.

If you were Vladimir Putin, who would you be rooting for?

But if he's a closet fan of Trump, why has the Russian president gone on record as saying he'd prefer Joe Biden back in the White House?

Imagine Vladimir Putin had said publicly that he'd prefer a Trump presidency.

What a gift for the Biden campaign.

Donald Trump's political enemies would have pounced on such an endorsement and accused the former US president of colluding with the Kremlin, of having ties to Russia two years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Hardly a vote-winner for the Republicans.

Still, if Donald Trump does become the Republican Party's official nominee for the 2024 presidential election, he won't escape questions about Putin and Russia.

Only now, Team Trump can point to these Kremlin comments about Biden and use them to deflect the inevitable accusations that Mr Trump is the Kremlin's choice.