Gleeful Kremlin revels in Biden’s decision to quit election race with top politician accusing him of ‘running away’ after ‘creating problems all over the world’

Kremlin figures are revelling in Joe Biden’s decision to quit the US presidential election race, with a top politician under Vladimir Putin accusing him of ‘running away’ after realising he would not win.

Speaking during a visit to Cuba, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin claimed that Biden ‘has created problems all over the world and in his own country.’ 

The former Putin aide argued that Biden should be held accountable ‘for the war unleashed in Ukraine, the destruction of the economies of European states, the sanctions policy against Russia and other countries.’

He added that the American leader, who was up against Republican nominee Donald Trump, made the decision after ‘seeing that he will not be elected’ and is now ‘running away without waiting for the elections.’

While many world leaders have praised the 81-year-old’s record in office and decades as a public servant, Volodin is among allies of Putin who have responded to the news with criticism and sarcastic comments.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on Telegram: ‘Joseph Biden said that he is leaving the presidential race. But he did not say where exactly.’

She added that ‘the next step’ after Biden’s announcement ‘should be an investigation into the collusion of the American media and political circles that concealed the true state of affairs about his mental state, manipulating public opinion and playing into the hands of one political party.’

Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov insisted in a statement that the Russian president’s focus is the war, not the US elections.

However, he added that ‘the elections are still four months away, we need to pay attention and watch what happens next.’

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Biden for his ‘leadership and support’ after the US President recently announced a $225 million weapons package for his embattled country.

This included a Patriot system to bolster its air defenses against a deadly onslaught of Russian airstrikes.

Writing on X, Zelensky said: ‘Ukraine is grateful to President Biden for his unwavering support for Ukraine’s fight for freedom, which, along with strong bipartisan support in the United States, has been and continues to be critical. 

‘Many strong decisions have been made in recent years and they will be remembered as bold steps taken by President Biden in response to challenging times. And we respect today’s tough but strong decision.’

For top Democrats, a catalyst for Biden’s fall from grace top came with his apparent implosion during last month’s TV election debate.

Pro-Kremlin media outlets and commentators taunted Washington over the president’s performance, which saw him stumble over his words and lose his train of thought.

The Kremlin itself also appeared to belittle the election showdown – with Putin’s spokesman claiming the dictator was too busy to wake up to watch the debate.

‘I don’t think you would expect that the President of Russia could set an alarm clock, wake up in the morning and watch a debate in the United States,’ said his spokesman Peskov. ‘After all, this is not an event on our agenda.’

Putin rarely comments on elections in the US, and has previously vowed to ‘work with any US leader’.

Back in February, he said that Biden was a more preferable candidate for Russia, as he is ‘a more experienced, predictable politician of the old school.’

But he blasted America’s judicial and political systems in May following Trump’s felony conviction, saying it was being used by the former president’s enemies to damage his chances of re-election.