A pedestrian buys a copy of the Mail on Sunday at a news stand in London on July 14, showing the reaction to events at former President Trump's campaign rally in Butler, Pa.Kirsty Wigglesworth/The Associated Press
The Kremlin said on Sunday it did not believe the U.S. administration was responsible for Saturday’s assassination attempt on U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump, but accused it of creating an atmosphere that provoked the attack.
Trump was shot in the ear during a rally in Pennsylvania, in an attack now being investigated as an assassination attempt. The attacker was shot dead and law enforcement officials said they had not yet identified 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.”
U.S. President Joe Biden condemned the attack, saying there was no place for that kind of violence in America. Peskov said Russia condemned any violence in the course of the political struggle.
His comments echoed those of some of Trump’s Republican allies, who immediately pinned the blame on Biden.
“After numerous attempts to remove candidate Trump from the political arena – using first legal tools, the courts, prosecutors, 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 Vladimir Putin to call Trump in light of the incident.
Putin has said the outcome of the U.S. presidential election is unlikely to change anything for Russia and that Trump’s presidency had damaged U.S.-Russia relations.
But the Russian leader has taken a public interest in Trump’s statements that he could end the Ukraine war, saying he does not know the details but supports the idea of ending the war in principle.
World leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, rapidly condemned Saturday’s attack, expressing shock, denouncing political violence and wishing Trump a quick recovery.
Peskov and Russia’s foreign ministry pointed to previous assassinations of U.S. presidents, highlighting domestic U.S. security failings.
Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament, said American political crisis, deep divisions in society and Washington’s focus on “interfering” in other nations’ affairs were all causes of the attack on Trump.
“With its years-long policy, the United States has let itself reach literally the brink of civil war,” Volodin wrote on Telegram.
Volodin also said Trump’s position on Ukraine could not be completely ruled out as a reason for the attack.
“Trump is one of the few Western politicians who has openly spoken about the need to stop sponsoring military action,” Volodin said.
Russia’s foreign ministry used the shooting to urge Washington to stop funding Ukraine’s military and concentrate on improving domestic law enforcement instead.
Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has brought Russia’s ties with the West to their lowest ebb since the height of the Cold War.
Asked whether the Trump attack could affect the legitimacy of the United States’ upcoming election, Peskov said: “It is not for us to judge. We have not the slightest desire to interfere. This is a U.S. matter.”
Comments from other world leaders
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was sickened by the shooting at former president Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania. “It cannot be overstated – political violence is never acceptable,” Trudeau said in a post on social media Saturday evening.
A spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the shooting and called it an “act of political violence.”
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said: “We must stand firm against any form of violence that challenges democracy.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “appalled by the shocking scenes” at the rally. “Political violence in any form has no place in our societies and my thoughts are with all the victims of this attack.”
Zelensky said there was “no justification” for such violence and he was “relieved” that Trump, who has frequently criticized U.S. military aid to Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion, was safe and wished him “a speedy recovery.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the shooting was “concerning and confronting,” while Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it left him “sickened.” Trudeau added: “Political violence is never acceptable.”
Similar comments were also made by the leaders of the European Union, Egypt, Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea, New Zealand, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands and the Philippines.
“It is a tragedy for our democracies,” French President Emmanuel Macron said of the shooting. “France shares the shock and indignation of the American people.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said the shooting left him shocked. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who met Trump this week while visiting the U.S. for a NATO summit, said his prayers were with the former president “in these dark hours.”
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called the shooting unacceptable while also urging others to condemn it.
“The attack against former President Donald Trump must be vehemently repudiated by all defenders of democracy and dialogue in politics. What we saw today is unacceptable,” the Brazilian leader said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Trump a friend and wished him a speedy recovery while saying: “Strongly condemn the incident. Violence has no place in politics and democracies.”