US Denies Russian Allegations of Election Interference in India

In a recent exchange of statements, the United States and Russia have engaged in a war of words over allegations of election meddling in India. The dispute arose after Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova accused the White House of interfering in India’s parliamentary elections.

Responding to Zakharova’s claims, State Department Spokesperson Mathew Miller vehemently denied any US involvement in Indian elections. “No, of course, we don’t involve ourselves in elections in India as we don’t involve ourselves in elections anywhere in the world. Those are decisions for the people of India to make,” Miller told reporters during a press briefing.

Zakharova had earlier alleged that the White House was attempting to destabilize India’s internal political landscape. “The reason is that they try to unbalance the internal political situation in India in order to complicate the general parliamentary elections. That is part of meddling into India’s internal affairs,” she stated in Moscow.

The exchange further escalated when Zakharova was asked to respond to a report by the Washington Post linking Indian policies to those of Russia and Saudi Arabia. “According to the information we have, Washington has not yet provided any reliable evidence of the involvement of Indian citizens in the preparation of the murder of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Speculation on this topic in the absence of evidence is unacceptable,” Zakharova retorted.

When a reporter asked Miller to respond, he refrained from commenting on the specifics of the ongoing legal matter but said “there’s a publicly returned indictment that contains alleged facts or allegations until proven before a jury that anyone can go and read. I won’t speak to them here because of course, it’s an ongoing legal matter,” he stated.