‘US after undermining Russia polls with graft claims against Putin’
Moscow has hit out at US over American officials’ corruption claims against Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying such ‘insulting’ allegations aim to influence Russia’s presidential election.
Statements by US officials alleging that President Putin is corrupt are outrageous and insulting, the Kremlin said on Friday, adding that they were an attempt to influence Russia's next presidential election.
A White House spokesman said that earlier comments by a US Treasury Department official against Putin were a reflection of the American administration's view.
Earlier this week, UK's state-run broadcaster, BBC reported that Adam Szubin, acting Treasury Secretary for terrorism and financial crimes, said in an interview that the United States considers Putin corrupt. The Kremlin later described the remarks as an "official accusation."
"This statement is outrageous and insulting," Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a conference call with journalists, referring to the White House comment.
"In general, we see that overseas they have started preparing for Russia's presidential election which is still more than two years away," Peskov said.
"It is clear that negative stuff is being accumulated to be used against the head of our state ... to exert pressure and influence the course of the future election campaign."
Relations between the United States and Russia are at their lowest point since the end of the Cold War, largely due to the crisis in eastern Ukraine and Russia’s air campaign in Syria.
Russia: New US aid for Ukraine will fail to change military situation
Tens of thousands displaced as floods engulf Kazakhstan, Russia
Russia: UN meeting on Iran retaliation ‘display of hypocrisy’
VIDEO | Iranians hold nationwide demos in support of IRGC
Syria condemns US veto of Palestine UN membership resolution
Iraqi resistance forces hit Israeli Ovda air base
Hackers break into Israeli military’s computers, access trove of documents
Tulkarm Brigade commander killed by Israeli forces in raid on refugee camp
Zionist media desperately trying to turn Israeli defeat into victory: Iran
VIDEO | Press TV's news headlines
Iran censures US veto of Palestinian request for full UN membership
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
