MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russian officials have repeatedly denied the allegations of meddling in the US election, calling them an absurd and an attempt to deflect public opinion from revealed instances of corruption and other pressing domestic concerns.
"I believe that these absolutely groundless accusations – at least I haven’t seen a single fact that this was substantiated… these accusations were used as an instrument in the electoral campaign, which for some reasons seemed to the Democratic Party to be an efficient way to raise support among the American people, playing on their feelings that no one shall meddle with American affairs. This is a Russophobic instrument," Lavrov said.
No evidence exists that could possibly implicate Russia in interfering in the internal affairs of the United States or European countries, Lavrov said.
Concerns about Russia's potential interference in foreign affairs have recently been raised in several countries. The source of concern can be traced to the US Intelligence Community's January report, which suggested, albeit without proof, that Moscow meddled in the US presidential elections. The Kremlin has denounced the report's allegations.
"Speaking of meddling with others’ matters, there is no proof that Russia was in any way involved either in the United States, or in Germany, or in France, or in the United Kingdom," Lavrov said.
Lavrov stated that Moscow was ready to discuss any concerns Washington might have and added that Russia had repeatedly reached out to the United States about potential cooperation on cybercrime. This suggestion, however, received little feedback, the foreign minister said.
Earlier this month, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey and NSA Director Admiral Michael Rogers testified in front of the House Intelligence Committee on the alleged Russian interference in the US presidential election.
During the hearing, both Comey and Rogers repeated the conclusions writted in the US intelligence report released in January, which was mostly based on media publications and social media. They also confirmed that Russia in any way did not affect the vote tallies in the US.
