Putin accuses US of exaggerating Russia's threat to presidential election

President Putin said US politicians had created panic about the threat from Russia to distract voters during the presidential campaign.

President Putin speaks at an event in Sochi on October 27. Photo: Reuters

Speaking to foreign affairs experts in Sochi on October 27, Mr. Putin said it was hard to believe that Moscow had the ability to influence the White House vote on November 8.

"The hysteria about Russian influence in the presidential election was created in the United States," Mr. Putin said, calling it a ploy by American politicians to distract voters from domestic issues such as public debt and gun control.

"It's much easier to mislead people with so-called Russian hackers, spies and agents of influence. Does anyone really think Russia can influence the choices of the American people in any way? Is America a small country? America is a great power."

Mr Putin insisted that Russia had no plans to attack any country and said that certain forces in the West were trying to stir up a threat from Russia in order to increase military spending and enhance their own importance.

The US government last week formally accused Russia of "interfering" in the White House race by cyberattacking Democratic Party organizations, while candidate Hillary Clinton accused her rival Donald Trump of being a "puppet" of the Russian president. Moscow denied the allegations.

NBC later reported that US intelligence agencies were preparing a cyberattack in response to Russia. Over the weekend, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that an old version of its website had been hacked by an American hacker who posted a sarcastic message.

According to VNE