(MENAFN) Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the election of New York City’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, as an internal matter for the United States, according to reports on Wednesday.

Asked whether Mamdani’s victory could cause domestic divisions that might affect U.S. support in the Ukraine conflict, Peskov said the mayoral race and the war in Ukraine are unrelated. "We don't think that these things are interconnected in any way. This is the internal affair of the United States of America," he emphasized.

Mamdani, 34, became the city’s first Muslim mayor after defeating independent candidate Andrew Cuomo in Tuesday’s election.

Peskov also commented on President Vladimir Putin’s proposal to allow foreign journalists to visit Ukrainian areas where Kyiv’s forces are reportedly encircled. He noted strong interest from Western media but said he was unaware of any Ukrainian journalists seeking to participate.

Peskov asserted that Kyiv is attempting to conceal the conditions faced by its troops.

Putin made the offer on Oct. 29, with the Defense Ministry indicating that combat could be paused for five to six hours to allow safe access for reporters. Ukrainian authorities, however, rejected the initiative, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhyi urging both foreign and Ukrainian journalists to decline the Russian offer.

On a separate note, Peskov highlighted that Russia’s latest weapons system is intended to serve as a reliable deterrent against actors ready to take “rash actions.” He also stated that Moscow has limited information regarding the types of weapons the U.S. plans to test in upcoming nuclear exercises.

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