The Kremlin appears to have a nuanced preference: quietly favoring Donald J. Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming U.S. presidential elections. However, both hard-liners and everyday Russians harbor little hope that either candidate could catalyze a swift resolution to the ongoing war in Ukraine. The expectation that either Trump or Harris might halt military aid to Ukraine, thereby compelling Kyiv to concede to Russia’s territorial claims, is minimal at best. Regardless of the election outcome, the likelihood of improved relations between the U.S. and Russia seems increasingly bleak.
Dmitri Kiselyov, a prominent anchor on the state-controlled Channel 1 TV, expressed the prevailing sentiment during a recent Sunday broadcast: “We don’t have anyone to root for.” He elaborated that the Russian populace is merely observing the electoral process with a sense of detachment, even as U.S. authorities have accused Russian operatives of engaging in disinformation campaigns aimed at influencing the election.
In stark contrast to the jubilation that followed Trump’s victory in 2016—when pro-government officials in Russia’s Parliament celebrated by popping bottles of Champagne—today’s atmosphere is one of skepticism. Back then, there was a genuine hope that the political outsider could dismantle U.S. sanctions imposed due to Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, alter the global political landscape by sidelining democratic norms, and perhaps even endow President Vladimir V. Putin with the respect he craved as the leader of a vast nation spanning 11 time zones.
Fast forward eight years, and the sentiments among Russia’s ruling elite have shifted dramatically. Dmitri A. Medvedev, a former president and prime minister who now serves as the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, voiced a grim outlook on Monday via Telegram: “The elections will not change anything for Russia since the candidates’ positions fully reflect the bipartisan consensus on the need for our country to be defeated.” This perspective resonates deeply within a Russia that feels both marginalized and misjudged by successive Democratic administrations, while simultaneously grappling with the reality of a President Trump who, despite his previous praise for Putin, took significant steps in 2018 to reverse Obama-era restrictions on the sale of anti-tank weaponry to Ukraine.
