Washington: Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Joe Biden’s son, Hunter did ”made very good money in Ukraine” but Moscow is not aware of anything criminal about his past business.
Putin’s rejection of US President Donald Trump’s criticism of the Biden family business comes with almost a week to go for the US election 2020 on November 3.
Trump, who is trailing behind Biden in opinion polls, has used the debates to make accusations that Hunter Biden engaged in unethical practices in Ukraine. No evidence has been verified to support the allegations, and Joe Biden has called them false and discredited.
Putin appeared less friendly towards Trump in remarks broadcast by Russian state TV. In what may be seen by some analysts as an attempt to curry favor with the Biden camp, he took the time to knock down what he made clear he regarded as false allegations from Trump about the Bidens.
“Yes, in Ukraine he (Hunter Biden) had or maybe still has a business, I don’t know. It doesn’t concern us. It concerns the Americans and the Ukrainians,” said Putin.
“But well yes he had at least one company, which he practically headed up, and judging from everything he made good money. I don’t see anything criminal about this, at least we don’t know anything about this (being criminal).”
Putin also reacted with visible irritation when asked about comments Trump has made concerning Putin’s ties to the former mayor of Moscow, and to an alleged payment made to Hunter Biden by the ex-mayor’s widow. Putin said he knew nothing about the existence of any commercial relationship between Hunter and the woman. Joe Biden says the accusation about his son is not true.
US intelligence agencies concluded that Russia tried to interfere in the 2016 US presidential election to tilt the contest in Trump’s favour, an allegation Moscow has denied. (WION NEWS)
