Ukraine war more important than Biden quitting US presidential race, says Kremlin

MOSCOW - After US President Joe Biden stood down from contesting the presidential election, the Kremlin said the most important thing for Russia was achieving its goals in the Ukraine war, not US politics where much could change over the coming months.

Mr Biden abandoned his re-election bid

on July 21 under growing pressure from his fellow Democrats and endorsed Vice-President Kamala Harris as the party’s candidate to face Republican Donald Trump in the November election.

“The elections are still four months away, and that is a long... time in which a lot can change,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the SHOT news outlet.

“We need to be patient and carefully monitor what happens. The priority for us is the special military operation,” Mr Peskov said, using the euphemism for the Ukraine war that President Vladimir Putin prefers.

Mr Putin had said several times that he felt Mr Biden was preferable as the future US president to Trump for Russia, even after Mr Biden cast the Kremlin chief as a “crazy SOB”, though some of his remarks have been ambiguous.

Russian state TV led news bulletins on Mr Biden leaving the election race and his support for Ms Harris, adding that it was unclear if she would earn the Democratic nomination.

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said on the Telegram messaging app that he wished Mr Biden good health and added that the goals of the special military operation would be achieved. REUTERS