Putin denies 2016 meddling: US is no ‘banana republic’

by Nikita Vladimirov - 10/27/16 4:09 PM ET

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday dismissed accusations that the Kremlin is actively attempting to interfere in the U.S. election in November.

{mosads}During an annual speech at the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi, Putin characterized as “hysteria” accusations from the U.S. intelligence community that Moscow was behind the hacking of Democratic officials and party groups. He said Russia would not be able to influence U.S. elections even in if tried to do so.

“Hysteria has been whipped up in the United States about the influence of Russia over the U.S. presidential election,” Putin said, according to Thursday reports.

“It’s much simpler to distract people with so-called Russian hackers, spies, and agents of influence. Does anyone really think that Russia could influence the American people’s choice in any way? Is America a banana republic or what? America is a great power,” he added.

Putin also reiterated his call for mutual respect and adherence to international standards.

“Cyberattacks against sovereign nations are unacceptable,” he said. “A nation must respect other nations and adhere to common rules for the world. The gap between elites and their peoples are a major factor in today’s problems, but not the only one, of course.”

In October, U.S. intelligence organizations publicly condemned Moscow for the hacking of numerous Democratic Party officials.

“We believe, based on the scope and sensitivity of these efforts, that only Russia’s senior-most officials could have authorized these activities,” the office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Homeland Security wrote in a public statement.

According to the White House, President Obama is considering a “proportional” response to the hacks.

“The president has talked before about the significant capabilities that the U.S. government has to both defend our systems in the United States but also carry out offensive operations in other countries,” press secretary Josh Earnest said earlier this month.

Tags Barack Obama