The president said the Kremlin would be open to working with whoever sits in the Oval Office in 2021, despite U.S. intelligence reports indicating that Russia is trying to undermine Biden in the same way it did Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016.

But Putin linked Biden to communist ideology during the interview. While Putin—a former party member, KGB colonel and intelligence operative—made the comparison in positive terms, his comment lines up with GOP talking points about the Biden-Kamala Harris ticket. Trump and his allies have tried to frame their opponents proposing a far-left, extremist platform dictated by the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.

“The Democratic Party is traditionally closer to the so-called liberal values, closer to social democratic ideas,” Putin said. “And it was from the social democratic environment that the Communist Party evolved.”