Moscow says US accusation destructive to relations

The Russian Foreign Ministry slammed the administration of US President Donald Trump by dismissing US accusations it is behind cyberattacks, saying the charges only harms bilateral relations with Russia by making such statements before a new leader takes office.

"The Trump administration aimed at preventing President-elect Joe Biden from establishing cooperation with Moscow," ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during a news conference on Thursday.

Zakharova said Russia reaffirms its willingness to conduct a pragmatic and constructive dialogue on cybersecurity issues with any US leader.

"However, the real purpose of new accusations against us is an attempt to prevent President-elect Joe Biden from establishing cooperation with Moscow, including on international information security issues. We are convinced that this scenario meets neither Russian nor American national interests," she said.

The Office of the US Director of National Intelligence, the FBI, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said in a joint statement last week that they had become aware of an attack on the US government's computer networks.

Zakharova cited a statement made by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who had accused Russia of being involved in a cyberattack on government agencies in Washington on Dec 18.

"Pompeo's speech did not add anything new to the traditional array of accusations of cyberattacks. Unfounded accusations against Russia are heard from across the pond all the time," she said.

The US Department of Commerce on Monday imposed sanctions on a number of Russian enterprises, which, according to Washington, cooperate with the armed forces of Russia. The organizations in question are prohibited from acquiring a number of US goods and technologies.

A total of 45 Russian companies have been blacklisted, including some from military industry sectors such as the Rostec state corporation, the MiG Aircraft Corporation, Russian Helicopters, and the aircraft makers Sukhoi and Tupolev among others.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier that Russia will respond, and draw conclusions on the entire range of relations with the US following the new sanctions.