Following the announcement, McCain and Sen. Lindsey Graham said in a joint statement they would urge the new Congress to push for tougher sanctions.
“This is an internal affair of the United States, but here we see ongoing attempts to exclude any kind of dialogue between our two countries and the attempts – blow-by-blow – to further harm the prospects of our bilateral relations,” Peskov told journalists.
Russian officials have repeatedly denied the US allegations of election interference, characterizing them as absurd and laughable nonsense. Moreover, they have said such allegations are intended to deflect US public attention from revelations of corruption and other pressing domestic concerns.
On December 30, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia "will not expel anyone" in response to US sanctions and will determine further steps in restoring ties with the United States depending on the policy of President-elect Donald Trump.
