If Vladimir Putin says he wants you to vote for Joe Biden, that probably tells you all you need to know. And that's what happened during an interview that Mad Vlad gave to Russian state television yesterday. When asked who he would prefer to see win the American election this year, Putin was careful to say that Russia would work with "any U.S. leader who the American people trust." But he first said that he would prefer Biden because he's "more experienced, more predictable." That shouldn't be too difficult for the public to translate. He was also asked about Biden's health and mental fitness. Putin dodged the question, saying that he's "not a doctor" and that he didn't feel it was appropriate to comment on that. (AP)

President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Russia would prefer to see U.S. President Joe Biden win a second term, describing him as more experienced than Donald Trump.

Speaking in an interview with a correspondent of Russian state television, Putin declared that he will work with any U.S. leader who is elected, but noted unequivocally that he would prefer Biden’s victory when asked who would be a better choice from the point of view of Russia.

“Biden, he’s more experienced, more predictable, he’s a politician of the old formation,” Putin said. “But we will work with any U.S. leader whom the American people trust.”

Putin was also asked about the relationship between the United States and NATO. He described NATO as "a political tool of the United States." Commenting again on Donald Trump, Putin said that Trump is "at odds with" NATO because he wants them to pay more for their own defense, while European countries would like the United States to continue providing defense services "for free." To be fair, that's a rather accurate assessment.

Getting back to the endorsement question, there are plenty of reasons why Russia would want Joe Biden to win another term. Putin provided the most compelling one in his first sentence. While it's true that Joe Biden has "more experience" in political terms, he's also "more predictable." Putin knew that invading Ukraine wouldn't provoke more out of Biden than the largely political and economic response that we've observed thus far. By contrast, Putin knows all too well that Donald Trump is entirely unpredictable. There would have been no way for him to know if Trump might go nuclear in response, either metaphorically or literally. This supports Trump's argument that the Ukraine war wouldn't have happened if he'd been in office and might end quickly if he returns.

Putin no doubt has other motivations to support Joe Biden that he left unsaid. First of all, the Russians pushed an enormous amount of cash into Biden Inc. and they would probably like to get their money's worth. Political relationships are one thing, but business relationships can be far more binding. Vladimir Putin might have been a bit surprised when Biden went so far as to approve sanctions on many key Russian figures. But you will also recall that certain Russian oligarchs were exempted from those sanctions, including the wife of the former Mayor of Moscow who was once exceedingly generous toward Hunter Biden. This is what our friends on Wall Street might call a return on investment.

If Donald Trump manages to stay out of jail and return to the White House, our relationship with Russia will no doubt change quickly and significantly. I have my doubts that he could end the war in Ukraine "in a matter of days," but I believe that both Russia and Ukraine will be far more inclined to find a way to end the fighting. Sadly, Joe Biden seems more than willing to see the fighting go on in perpetuity.