The Trump-Biden debate is overshadowed by the specter of Putin.

• In the 90-minute debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, Russian leader Vladimir Putin's name was mentioned approximately a dozen times.
• The two candidates, who have each spent time in the White House and interacted with the Kremlin, held differing opinions about the Russian leader.
• Putin has rarely spoken about the outcome of U.S. elections, stating that he will collaborate with any American leader, but briefly indicating his preference for Biden to become the new president.

Last night's CNN electoral debate featured an additional presence on stage with Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden and Republican former President Donald Trump: Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In the 90-minute debate, the Russian leader was mentioned approximately a dozen times as the two candidates discussed their domestic and foreign policies. Despite having both spent time in the White House and interacting with the Kremlin, their views of the Russian leader were vastly different.

Trump asserted that Putin would be discouraged from conflict if he respected the leadership of opposing global superpowers, despite Trump's denial of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

If Putin respected a real president in Russia, he would never have invaded Ukraine, Trump stated in a CNN debate transcript.

Trump once again criticized the substantial financial support the U.S. has provided to Kyiv during the conflict, two months after Washington approved a foreign aid bill that allocated approximately $60 billion for the war-torn country.

As president-elect, I will ensure that the conflict between Putin and Zelenskyy is resolved before my inauguration on January 20th.

Trump stated that Putin's recent demands for peace negotiations, which involve the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from territories illegally annexed by Russia, are unacceptable.

Trump pledged to secure the release of Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street journalist detained in Russia in March 2023 and currently facing trial on espionage charges.

Trump stated that he would remove Putin from power swiftly upon taking office, prior to his inauguration, and that Putin was likely requesting billions of dollars for the journalist. However, Putin had previously expressed interest in a prisoner swap for Gershkovich instead of financial compensation.

Zelenskyy has previously characterized Trump's assertion that he could resolve the Ukraine conflict in 24 hours as "risky" and expressed concern about a possible White House comeback by the Republican nominee.

'He wants all of Ukraine'

Biden adopted a colder tone when describing Putin due to the strained relationship between the Kremlin and his administration.

Biden stated that Putin is a war criminal who has killed thousands of people and wants to re-establish the Soviet Empire in its entirety, not just a part of it. Russia has previously annexed four illegal territories from Ukraine since the 2022 invasion, in addition to taking control of the Crimean peninsula in 2014.

What do you think will happen to Poland and NATO countries if Biden takes Ukraine?

The possibility of the conflict expanding into Europe has motivated NATO's support of non-member Ukraine, prompting Finland and Sweden to abandon their neutrality and join the alliance. Russia has cited Ukraine's aspiration to join NATO as a threat to its security and a reason for its military action.

Trump responded to accusations from Trump that a lack of respect for Biden from leaders such as North Korea's Kim Jong Un, China's Xi Jinping and Putin will lead the U.S. into "World War Three," by saying: "If Putin continues to go into NATO, an attack on one is an attack on all. You want to start the nuclear war he keeps talking about. Go ahead ... See what happens then."

Biden accused Trump of encouraging Putin to take any action he desired regarding the Ukraine war.

In 2022, Trump praised Putin's "genius" invasion strategy of Ukraine, calling the Kremlin leader a "very savvy" person he knows well, according to NBC News.

The Russian and Ukrainian Ministries of Foreign Affairs have been contacted by CNBC. Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for the Kremlin, stated on Friday that the Biden-Trump debate is an internal U.S. matter and the Kremlin will not comment on it, according to Reuters.

Putin's preference for Biden?

Putin has rarely spoken about the outcome of the U.S. elections, stating that he would collaborate with any American leader, yet briefly indicated a preference for Biden to become president.

In February, he stated that Biden is more experienced and predictable, being an "old school" politician.

Despite his criticism of Washington's support for Ukraine and accusations against the U.S. judicial system, Putin has repeatedly lambasted the alleged weaponization of the U.S. judicial system against Trump, who was found guilty on 34 felony charges in late May.

Putin stated this month that "the U.S. is self-destructing from within, through its state and political system."

Under the Biden administration, Ukraine has been the top recipient of U.S. foreign aid since its 2022 invasion, receiving more than $100 billion in financial assistance, weapons, and equipment.