VLADIVOSTOK, September 12. /TASS/. The campaign of persecution in the United States against the former president, Donald Trump, who is seeking re-election, demonstrates the "rottenness" of the American system, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum.

"For us, what is happening [in the US] in today's situation, the way I see it, is a good thing," the Russian leader said. "It shows the rottenness of the American political system, which is unable to lay claim to the right to teach democracy to others."

"Everything that is happening to Trump is a politically motivated persecution of a political rival. That's what it is. And it's being done before the eyes of the US public and the whole world. They’ve just exposed their internal problems," Putin said.

"In this sense, if they are trying to fight against us in some respects, it is good, because it shows who is fighting against us. It shows, as they used to say in Soviet times, "the beastly face of American imperialism, the beastly grin," Putin concluded.

Donald Trump, who was in office in 2017-2021, is accused of several crimes, from tax evasion and harassment to pressure on officials using his official position and an attempted coup. On many charges he faces long prison terms. Trump is the most likely candidate from the Republican Party in the 2024 election.