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Russian Ex-Ambassador in US Kislyak Calls Allegations of Meddling 'Fantasies'

MUNICH (Sputnik) - Former Russian ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak said Saturday that the allegations of Russia’s interference in the domestic affairs of the United States are nothing but "fantasies" used for internal political purposes.
Sputnik

"So whatever allegations are being remounted against us are simply fantasies that are being used for political reasons inside the United States," Kislyak, who is now the first deputy chairman of the Russian upper house Committee on Foreign Affairs, said during the Munich Security Conference (MSC).

The official added that during his tenure as ambassador in Washington, Russia had "never got involved as a government in the political life in the United States."

On Friday, the US Justice Department in court documents revealed that the United States accused 13 Russian nationals and three entities of trying to interfere in the 2016 presidential vote. The 27-page indictment, a product of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe, alleged that those accused used fake personas to try to influence the outcome of the elections in President Donald Trump’s favor.

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The United States has repeatedly accused Russia of interfering in the 2016 presidential election and is investigating allegations of collusion between Russia and the campaign of then-presidential candidate Trump.

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In 2008-2017, Kislyak served as Russia’s ambassador to the United States. For months the ambassador has been portrayed in US media as a tool for spreading Russian influence. Such media outlets as The New York Times and The Washington Post have repeatedly released information, citing sources, about alleged links between Trump and members of his campaign team with Russian officials, including Kislyak.

The Russian officials have denied the allegations of meddling in the 2016 US election, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the accusations were "absolutely groundless." In turn, the White House has also reiterated that there is no proof substantiating the allegations of collusion between Trump's campaign and Moscow during the election.

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