Russia has accused the United States of trying to influence its election process by funding opposition groups.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made the comment on March 1 in an interview published in the online edition of "Rossiyskaya Gazeta," a government daily, ahead of the March 4 presidential election.
Lavrov said the United States was following Cold War-era stereotypes and that "the days when Russia could be lectured or preached to are over."
Lavrov also said the United States had strict laws barring foreigners from funding election campaigns and that Russia could alter its laws to make sure the same applied to Russian nongovernmental organizations.
The remarks follow a state-led crackdown on a Moscow-based election monitor, Golos, which receives funding from the West.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made the comment on March 1 in an interview published in the online edition of "Rossiyskaya Gazeta," a government daily, ahead of the March 4 presidential election.
Lavrov said the United States was following Cold War-era stereotypes and that "the days when Russia could be lectured or preached to are over."
Lavrov also said the United States had strict laws barring foreigners from funding election campaigns and that Russia could alter its laws to make sure the same applied to Russian nongovernmental organizations.
The remarks follow a state-led crackdown on a Moscow-based election monitor, Golos, which receives funding from the West.