Vladimir Putin has described the recent criminal conviction of Donald Trump as politically motivated and claimed that it had “burned” the idea that the US was a leading democracy.
Trump last week became the first former US head of state ever convicted of a felony crime after a New York jury found him guilty of 34 charges over efforts to conceal a sexual liaison with an adult film actor, Stormy Daniels, in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Putin said: “It is obvious all over the world that the prosecution of Trump – especially in court on charges that were formed on the basis of events that happened years ago, without direct proof – is simply using the judicial system in an internal political struggle.”
Speaking earlier this week, the former White House Russia specialist Fiona Hill warned that Putin was likely to see Trump’s conviction as a chance to undermine the US’s global influence and boost his own standing.
“What mischief does he have to make when you have people within the American system itself denigrating it and pulling it down?” Hill, a former senior adviser to three US presidents – including Trump – said to AP.
Earlier this year, Putin said he would prefer to see Biden re-elected in remarks that were met with skepticism by many Russia watchers who believe his intention may be to use his notoriety to boost Trump.
The original article contains 574 words, the summary contains 241 words. Saved 58%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Vladimir Putin has described the recent criminal conviction of Donald Trump as politically motivated and claimed that it had “burned” the idea that the US was a leading democracy.
Trump last week became the first former US head of state ever convicted of a felony crime after a New York jury found him guilty of 34 charges over efforts to conceal a sexual liaison with an adult film actor, Stormy Daniels, in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Putin said: “It is obvious all over the world that the prosecution of Trump – especially in court on charges that were formed on the basis of events that happened years ago, without direct proof – is simply using the judicial system in an internal political struggle.”
Speaking earlier this week, the former White House Russia specialist Fiona Hill warned that Putin was likely to see Trump’s conviction as a chance to undermine the US’s global influence and boost his own standing.
“What mischief does he have to make when you have people within the American system itself denigrating it and pulling it down?” Hill, a former senior adviser to three US presidents – including Trump – said to AP.
Earlier this year, Putin said he would prefer to see Biden re-elected in remarks that were met with skepticism by many Russia watchers who believe his intention may be to use his notoriety to boost Trump.
The original article contains 574 words, the summary contains 241 words. Saved 58%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!