Putin was joking about support for Harris in US election, FM says

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin was joking when he said Moscow was supporting Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in November's US presidential election, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with Sky News Arabia.

Putin said earlier this month that Russia wanted Harris to win the contest in a teasing comment that cited her "infectious" laugh as a reason to prefer her over Republican candidate and former president Donald Trump. 

The Russian leader's remark prompted the White House to say Putin should stop commenting on the November 5 election.

"It was a joke," Lavrov said, when asked how much the change in US president would affect Russia's foreign policy. 

"President Putin has a good sense of humour. He often jokes during his statements and interviews.

"I see no long-term differences in our attitude to the current or previous elections in the United States, because it is ruled by the notorious 'deep state'," Lavrov said, without giving evidence for that assertion.

Lavrov's comments were published on the foreign ministry website on Friday.

Meanwhile, amid the rising Ukraine-Russia conflict, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he hoped to meet Republican presidential candidate Trump next week when he travels to the US to present Ukraine's "victory plan" in the war against Russia.

Zelenskiy will attend sessions of the UN Security Council and General Assembly and also plans to meet US President Joe Biden and Vice President Harris in separate meetings on September 26.

The Ukrainian leader said he also hoped to meet Trump.

"We will most likely have a meeting, I think, on September 26-27," Zelenskiy told media late on Friday, without providing further details.