Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed new U.S. threats to retaliate against alleged Russian hackers, saying such statements only confirm that Washington uses cyberattacks for political purposes.
Speaking after an October 16 summit of the BRICS group of emerging economies in India, Putin said he believed that the hacking allegations were mainly campaign rhetoric by the White House.
Putin said he hoped Moscow-Washington ties could improve after the U.S. elections.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden told NBC News television on October 14 that Washington is sending a message to Putin and that retaliation for Russia's alleged hacking attacks "will be at the time of our choosing, and under the circumstances that will have the greatest impact."
“For the first time, at such a high level, the United States admitted that they are doing this and, to a known extent, threatening [with this]," Putin told reporters in reaction to Biden’s comments.
Putin said Russia is not trying to influence the upcoming presidential vote in the United States.
Washington has formally accused Russia of a campaign of cyberattacks against Democratic Party organizations ahead of the November 8 presidential election.
Putin Dismisses U.S. Hacking Allegations As Campaign Rhetoric
Russian President Vladimir Putin at the BRICS summit