(MENAFN) Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday called the election of Zohran Mamdani as New York City's mayor an “internal affair” of the United States, dismissing any link between the vote and U.S. support for Ukraine.

Asked at a Moscow press briefing whether the result could create domestic divisions that might affect Washington's aid to Kyiv, Peskov replied, "We don't think that these things are interconnected in any way. This is the internal affair of the United States of America."

Mamdani, 34, became the first Muslim mayor in New York City's history after defeating independent candidate Andrew Cuomo in Tuesday's election.

Turning to the war in Ukraine, Peskov highlighted growing Western media interest in President Vladimir Putin's proposal to visit areas where Ukrainian forces are encircled in so-called “cauldrons.”

"There is a lot of interest, and we know that a large number of Western journalists would like to go there. I am not aware of any Ukrainian journalists who would declare their desire to go," he said, accusing Kyiv of attempting to conceal the situation by obstructing the initiative.

Putin made the offer on Oct. 29, announcing that the Defense Ministry could allow foreign media access to encircled areas to witness conditions firsthand. The ministry followed up the next day, saying it could suspend combat for five to six hours to create safe corridors.

However, on Oct. 31, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhyi urged both foreign and domestic journalists to reject the Russian plan to visit conflict zones near Pokrovsk, Dymytrov, and Kupiansk via Russian-controlled territory.

Shifting focus, Peskov said Russia’s newest weapons systems are intended as a deterrent against “hotheads” contemplating “rash actions.” He added that Moscow still lacks information on the types of weapons Washington plans to test in its own nuclear experiments.

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