Moscow: On Sunday, the Kremlin stated it did not believe the US administration orchestrated Saturday’s assassination attempt on US presidential candidate Donald Trump, but suggested that the prevailing atmosphere had provoked the attack.
Trump was shot in the ear during a Pennsylvania rally, an incident currently being investigated as an assassination attempt. The attacker was killed, and law enforcement officials have yet to identify a motive.
“We do not believe that the attempt to eliminate and assassinate Trump was organized by the current authorities,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “But the atmosphere around candidate Trump…provoked what America is confronting today.”
US President Joe Biden condemned the attack, emphasizing that such violence has no place in America. Peskov affirmed Russia’s condemnation of any violence in the political struggle.
Peskov’s remarks mirrored those of some of Trump’s Republican allies, who swiftly attributed the blame to Biden. “After numerous attempts to remove candidate Trump from the political arena—using legal tools, courts, prosecutors, and attempts to politically discredit and compromise the candidate—it was obvious to all outside observers that his life was in danger,” Peskov said.
He added that there were no plans for President Putin to call Trump in response to the incident.
World leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, quickly condemned the attack, denounced political violence, and wished Trump a speedy recovery.
Russia’s foreign ministry used the shooting to urge Washington to cease funding Ukraine’s military and focus on improving domestic law enforcement instead.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova responded on Telegram to comments made by independent presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. following the shooting. “Dear Bobby and all those who vote in the United States to supply Zelenskiy with arms,” Zakharova said, “Wouldn’t it be better for this money to finance the American police and other services that are supposed to ensure law and order within the United States?”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has strained its relations with the West to their lowest point since the Cold War.
Asked whether the attack on Trump could impact the legitimacy of the upcoming US election, Peskov stated, “It is not for us to judge. We have no desire to interfere. This is a US matter.”
