Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday that allegations of Russian meddling in elections, both in the United States and Europe, are “endless fantasies.”
Speaking at a meeting of the Association of European Businesses in Moscow, Lavrov said there is not “a single piece of evidence” that Russia intervened in elections in Western countries, including the US.
The US has accused Russia of being behind a series of email hacks, including communications from the Democratic National Committee. Russia has repeatedly denied any attempt to influence the 2016 presidential election.
Lavrov made his comments as a Washington investigation into alleged Russian collusion with US President Donald Trump’s election campaign intensified Monday, first with the indictment of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former Trump campaign official Rick Gates and then with the revelation that former Trump foreign policy campaign adviser, George Papadopoulos, pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI. Both Manafort and Gates pleaded not guilty.
Lavrov also confirmed Tuesday that French President Emmanuel Macron has accepted an invitation to visit Moscow in 2018, according to the state-run news agency Interfax.
Russia appeared to support far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in May’s French presidential election. Macron won a resounding victory against her.
