"The United States' alleged leadership in democracy, they are burning it down to the root," Putin said on June 5 in a rare press conference with the heads of several international news agencies during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
"Across the world, it is obvious that the prosecution of Trump, especially in court on charges that were formed based on events that happened years ago, without direct proof, is simply using the judicial system in an internal political struggle," he said in comments translated by Reuters.
Trump became the first former U.S. head of state ever convicted of a felony crime after a New York jury found him guilty of 34 charges over alleged efforts to "conceal a sexual liaison" with an adult film actor, Stormy Daniels, in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election. The Russian leader also described how Trump, despite the guilty verdict on the lawfare he put up against, continues to see a massive increase in support and donations.
"It means that people in the United States do not believe the judicial system that is making such decisions," said Putin, adding that the additional four separate criminal cases against Trump amounted to "political persecution."
Trump mirrored these remarks in his response to the conviction. The former president has repeatedly attacked the criminal justice system and claimed that President Joe Biden orchestrated the verdict.
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When asked whether he would prefer Trump or Biden to win the upcoming election, Putin said "it does not matter" to Moscow who becomes the next U.S. leader because it is unlikely that U.S. foreign policy toward Russia would significantly change.
"We don't care who wins," Putin said. "For us, we do not think the end result holds much significance. We will work with any president the American people elect. To say – I am speaking quite sincerely – that we believe that after the elections something will change toward Russia in American policy, but I would not say so. We don’t think so. We think that nothing really serious will happen."
Former White House Russia specialist Fiona Hill implied that Putin was likely to see Trump's conviction as a chance to undermine America's global influence and boost his 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 U.S. presidents, including Trump, told the Associated Press. She added that Putin was probably "rubbing his hands with glee" at Trump's attacks on the U.S. criminal justice system. (Related: Putin's new right-hand man wants to nuke the West "to save the world" from a full-blown war.)
World leaders voice support for Trump
Like Putin, several world leaders have expressed their take on the guilty verdict against Trump.
Immediately after the decision, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said: "I've known President @realDonaldTrump to be a man of honor. As President, he always put America first, he commanded respect around the world and used this respect to build peace. Let the people make their verdict this November! Keep on fighting, Mr. President!"
Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, known for his strident anti-immigrant views, expressed "solidarity and full support" for Trump, whom he called a "victim of judicial harassment and a process of political nature." He added that his countrymen are sadly familiar with the weaponization of the justice system by the left, given that for years attempts have been made to eliminate political opponents through legal means. "I hope Trump wins; it would be a guarantee of greater balance and hope for world peace," he said.
Meanwhile, other world leaders are taking the "safer" road. British opposition leader and prime ministerial hopeful, Keir Starmer, said that if the Labour Party wins power in the United Kingdom's upcoming general election on July 4, his government would "work with whoever" Americans elect.
"We respect the decision of the court, the independent court – there's a bit of process to go with sentencing and appeal," Starmer told BBC Radio Scotland. "But we are in an unprecedented situation. There’s no doubt about that." He further said: "Ultimately, whether he's elected president will be a matter for the American people and if we're privileged to come in to serve, we would work with whoever they choose as their president."
For Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, they would rather refrain from commenting on matters relating to judicial procedures in other countries. According to him, the Japanese government is not in a position to make comments with presumptions about the impact on the U.S. presidential election. "In any event, we are closely monitoring related developments and will continue to gather information," he said.
Visit Trump.news for more news related to the ongoing legal battle the former president is fighting.
Watch the video below where Trump reportedly claims Putin will release jailed American journalist after he wins the election.
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