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The White House has advised Moscow to stop interfering in the U.S. presidential elections and criticized Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin’s public discussions about “supporting” certain candidates.
John Kirby, the Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the U.S. National Security Council, made these remarks during a briefing in Washington.
In response to questions from journalists, Kirby commented on Putin’s statements expressing a preference for Vice President Kamala Harris in the election race. He emphasized that the Kremlin leader “should stop talking about the elections, period.”
“He should not favor anyone one way or another. The only people who should decide who will be the next President of the United States are the American people,” Kirby stated.
He also added that the U.S. would be “very grateful” if Putin “A: stopped talking about the elections, and B: stopped interfering in them.”
Previously, Putin had claimed that his preferred candidate in the U.S. elections was President Joe Biden. However, since Biden withdrew from the race and recommended Kamala Harris, Russia would also support her.
U.S. intelligence had earlier reported that foreign adversaries would attempt to influence the November 2024 presidential elections, adapting their operations to domestic political events in the country.
Earlier, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on RT’s management and affiliated companies for attempting to interfere in the American presidential elections.
Additionally, the U.S. Department of Justice announced charges against two employees of this propaganda channel for violations related to foreign agents and money laundering.
On September 4, the U.S. State Department announced measures in response to Russia’s attempt to interfere in the presidential elections, targeting Russian propagandists.
Read also: U.S. imposes sanctions on Russia over attempts to influence election
