Russia has not—and will not—interfere in U.S. elections, according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, who insisted that Americans and Russians are basically alike and are “not enemies.”
Mr. Peskov made the remarks on March 6 during a lecture to students at the World Youth Festival in the Sirius Federal Territory, near Sochi, Russia.
“We never interfered in elections in the United States,” Ms. Peskov said at the event.“And this time, we do not intend to interfere.”
The Kremlin spokesperson’s claim that Russia has never interfered in U.S. elections runs counter to the view held by the U.S. intelligence community, which said in an assessment in October 2023 that Russia waged campaigns to undermine democratic processes in at least 11 elections across nine countries, including the United States.
The assessment, which was sent by diplomatic cable to more than 100 countries, claims that Moscow was using spies, social media, and Russian state-run media to undermine public confidence in the integrity of democratic elections across the world.
“This is a global phenomenon,” the assessment stated. “Our information indicates that senior Russian government officials, including the Kremlin, see value in this type of influence operation and perceive it to be effective.”
“As they say it in the West, it is ‘highly likely’ that this piece is a compilation of outright speculations, gossips, and Russophobic outbursts,” Mr. Antonov was quoted as saying on the Russian Embassy’s Telegram channel.
At the same time, he said that Russia is “not surprised by such insinuations” and that “they are rooted in the administration’s insecurities about the correctness and efficiency of methods of resolving problems both at home and at the international arena.”
Mr. Antonov took a swipe at the United States’ domestic and foreign policy travails, claiming that President Joe Biden and his administration are scapegoating Moscow because they are “losing their position of a world hegemon.”
At the World Youth Festival on March 6, Mr. Peskov claimed that many countries were discussing how to question the legitimacy of the outcome of Russia’s presidential elections, which are scheduled to take place next week.
“We never tell anyone how to live, but we don’t want to be told either. And so, of course, we will suppress any attempts to interfere in our elections,” Mr. Peskov said, according to Russian state-run news agency Tass.
The Kremlin, and others, have on numerous occasions criticized the United States for using its military and covert operations to topple or prop up foreign governments.
‘No Anti-American Sentiments’
At the youth event, the Kremlin spokesperson had words of praise for the American people—while denouncing the country’s senior political leadership for its supposed insolence.“We have no anti-American sentiments,” Mr. Peskov said. “We do not like American senior officials and politicians who keep insulting our president.”
While Mr. Peskov didn’t elaborate, President Biden in 2021 famously called Mr. Putin a “killer” and vowed that he would “pay a price” for allegedly interfering in the 2020 U.S. elections.
Shortly after President Biden’s “killer” remark, Mr. Peskov said it was “churlish” and a “huge shame” for the United States, but noted that Mr. Putin brushed it off.
More recently, President Biden called his Russian counterpart a “crazy SOB” in a statement about threats to the world, including the risk of a nuclear holocaust.
Asked about the U.S. president’s latest critical remark in an interview on Russian state television, Mr. Putin said simply, “We are ready to work with any president.”
“We will no longer tolerate any criticism of our democracy and assertions that something is wrong with it, that it should be somehow different,” he said.
“Our democracy is the best of the best.”
It comes as Russia’s presidential election is set to be held over three days from March 15 to March 17, with the winner to be inaugurated in May. Mr. Putin faces little real competition and is widely expected to coast to victory.
While the West casts Mr. Putin as a dictator, some Russian polls indicate he has approval ratings of about 80 percent, higher than before the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
Voting will also be held in regions seized in eastern Ukraine that Russia now claims as its own.
Ukraine has vowed to retake all its annexed territories, although many experts question Kyiv’s ability to do so as the war enters its third year.
