U.S. national flag waves on the building of the embassy of the United States of America (R) in Moscow on April 2, 2018. (AFP PHOTO)
MOSCOW, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- The United States is fabricating a pretext to once again impose its "notorious sanctions" against Russia, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Saturday.
Ryabkov made the remarks after the U.S. Department of Justice on Friday charged Russian national Elena Khusyaynova "for her alleged role in a Russian conspiracy to interfere in the U.S. political system, including the 2018 midterm election."
In a commentary published by the Russian Foreign Ministry, Ryabkov said the United States has been spreading "shameless lies" about the mythical "hand of Moscow" for more than two years and it is now playing the same card on the eve of the Nov. 6 midterm election.
"This is a shameful slanderous campaign. It is dictated by the desire of some American politicians to get advantages in inter-party squabbles and at the same time put pressure on Russia," he said.
"The United States clearly overestimate its own capabilities. Demonstrating hostility to Russia and contempt for the whole world, they will only receive a more and more tough response," Ryabkov said.