John Kirby, the White House coordinator for strategic communications on national security, on Thursday called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to refrain from commenting on the US presidential elections, emphasizing that only Americans should determine the next president.
“Mr. Putin needs to stop talking about our elections, period,” Kirby stated in response to a question regarding Putin’s recent endorsement of Kamala Harris for the US presidency. “He should not give preference to anyone, in any way,” Kirby added.
Kirby further stressed that “the only people who get to determine who the next president of the United States will be are the American people,” and urged Putin to cease any involvement in the US electoral process.
This statement follows an announcement by Putin, where he expressed support for Kamala Harris in the upcoming US elections, stating, “I used to say that our favorite was the current president, Mr. Biden. He was withdrawn from the race and recommended his supporters back Ms. Harris, so we will do the same.”
Putin’s remarks have raised concerns about potential foreign interference, a sensitive issue in US politics following previous allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
