The Kremlin said on Sunday it does not believe the US administration was responsible for Saturday’s assassination attempt on US presidential candidate Donald Trump but that it had created an atmosphere that provoked the attack.
Trump was shot in the ear during a rally in Pennsylvania, an attack that is now being investigated as an assassination attempt. The attacker was shot and law enforcement officials said they have yet to determine a motive.
“We do not believe that the attempt to eliminate and assassinate Trump was carried out by the current authorities,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“But the environment around candidate Trump … is fueling the very situation America is facing today.”
US President Joe Biden condemned the attack, saying there was no place for such violence in the US. Peskov said Russia condemns any violence during a political conflict.
His comments echoed those of some of Trump’s Republican allies, who quickly placed the blame on Biden.
“After numerous attempts to remove candidate Trump from the political arena – first using legal means, courts, prosecutors, attempts to politically discredit and compromise the candidate – it was obvious to all outside observers that his life was in danger,” Peskov said.
He said there were no plans for Putin to call Trump in the wake of the incident.
World leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, swiftly condemned Saturday’s attack, expressed shock, denounced political violence, and wished Trump a speedy recovery.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry, citing the shooting incident, urged Washington to stop funding Ukraine’s military and instead focus on improving domestic law enforcement.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, writing on Telegram, reacted to comments by independent presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. following the shooting.
“Dear Bobby and all those who voted to supply Zelensky with weapons in the United States,” Zakharova said.
“Wouldn’t it be better to use this money to fund the American police and other services whose job is to ensure law and order in the United States?”
Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has plunged Russia’s relations with the West to the lowest point since the Cold War.
Asked whether Trump’s attack could affect the legitimacy of the upcoming United States election, Peskov said: “It’s not our business to judge that. We have absolutely no desire to interfere. This is an American matter.”
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