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As the presidential race entered its third day with key states at stake and both candidates signaling victory, Russian officials said there are deep-seated flaws in the US electoral system, whose uncertainty Moscow warned could have damaging ramifications around the world.
Trump was declared the winner early Wednesday morning when his lead began to wane with a late influx of pro-Biden votes previously delivered via mail-in ballots. With numbers continuing to pour in from the US battle states, he has continued to insist that he will rise to the top, while claiming that if Biden wins, it will be due to widespread voter fraud.
Taking note of these developments, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharov told a press conference Thursday that “the obvious shortcomings of the US electoral system are evident.”
He referred to a recent preliminary report released Tuesday by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which sent international observers to monitor the US race that they ultimately deemed forged with “legal uncertainties and logistical challenges” as well as ” unsubstantiated accusations of systematic deficiencies “by Trump.
He echoed the report’s criticism of the United States’ failure to update critical electoral laws, describing “the archaic nature of the relevant legislation and the lack of regulation on a number of fundamental points.”
The OSCE also criticized Russia’s elections for “restrictions on fundamental freedoms” and a “lack of genuine competition” in a system that has produced four victories for Vladimir Putin, who is serving his second consecutive term, and the fourth overall, as president after being in power for two decades as head of state or prime minister. Putin won 77% of the vote in 2018.
With America divided and the outcome shifting, Zakharova expressed hope that a clear outcome would nonetheless emerge.
“We hope that the existing legal mechanisms in the United States will allow, in full compliance with the US Constitution, to determine the future head of state and, most importantly, prevent the outbreak of massive unrest in the country,” he said. said. “At the same time, I would like to emphasize that the election of the head of state is the exclusive right of American citizens who deserve to have their votes properly counted.”
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In recent conversations with NewsweekRussian officials have called for the need to reverse a deep decline in ties between Moscow and Washington on various issues, including trade, international affairs and arms control, regardless of who won the election.
“We have repeatedly stressed that we are ready to work with Washington on any issue,” said Petr Svirin, spokesman for the Moscow embassy in Washington. Newsweek during the weekend before the race. “The main thing is that such cooperation must be built on the basis of equality, mutual respect and a balance of interests.”
Maria Zakharov reiterated this point on Thursday.
“As for the prospects for Russian-American relations in the context of elections abroad, Moscow, as our country’s leadership has repeatedly said, is ready for constructive interaction with the President of the United States, regardless of who they become after the election, “she said.
That same day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also commented on the tumultuous issue affecting the United States. He warned that the lack of clarity could ultimately harm the international community.
“Any uncertainty in the most powerful world economy in one of the largest countries has and could have negative consequences for global affairs, first of all for the global economy,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the agency on Thursday. Russian state news agency Tass. reported as the numbers continued to pour in from the US battlefield states.
“In the meantime, we will see how long this period of uncertainty lasts and how strong this influence is,” he added.
With the final count still up in the air, Peskov declined to comment further.
“The results of the US elections have not yet been announced and it is impossible to comment on the current situation,” he said. “We would rather take our time and wait for the situation to clear up.”
Moscow has repeatedly emphasized its neutrality in the contest between President Donald Trump and his rival Joe Biden, the former vice president who joined Democrats in accusing Trump of colluding with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an attempt to influence the 2016 election. in his favor.
Both the Putin and Trump administrations have denied such an effort, and Peskov sought to avoid further controversy.
“Unfortunately, everything about our country is like a red rag to a bull in America,” he said, “so let’s refrain from commenting right now, I think Americans should go about their business on their own.”
Despite Trump’s initial efforts to improve America’s relationship with his former Cold War adversary, tensions have risen as Washington lawmakers voted in favor of sanctions against certain Russian government entities and state-affiliated companies.
ANGELA WEISS / MANDEL NGAN / AFP / Getty Images
Abroad, the two countries find themselves on opposite sides in several important arenas, most seriously in Syria and Ukraine. In other parts of Eastern Europe as well, the US-led NATO military alliance and Russian forces have built defenses.
This long-standing competition for influence here has been once again inflamed by the collapse of arms control agreements such as the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) and a stark test of a second historic pact, the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). The latest pact establishes mutual limits and verification measures for the world’s two major nuclear powers.
Representatives from Washington and Moscow were locked in negotiations over the extension of New START in the months and weeks leading up to the elections, and while Putin offered an immediate and unconditional extension, the Trump administration has not provided a definitive answer.
In lieu of a renewal, the US side has advocated for a new deal involving additional weapons systems and more countries like China, which has repeatedly turned down offers to join such a multilateral deal due to its much smaller nuclear arsenal.
Biden, while promising an even tougher approach to Russia than Trump’s, has said he would seek the New START extension.
Back in Moscow, Leonid Slutsky, who chairs the foreign affairs committee of Russia’s lower house of parliament, said Wednesday that lawmakers will meet later this month in anticipation of how to handle foreign policy with the eventual winner of the American elections.
He also described an “unpredictable” situation and charted a difficult path for relations between the two countries.
“The anti-Russian card has been used widely in the field of US domestic politics and regardless of who sits in the White House in the next four years, it will inevitably be used again,” he said. “Still, we hope for common sense and healthy pragmatism.”
