The director of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) Alexander Bortnikov said that Russia never meddled in the internal affairs of foreign nations, including in the 2016 presidential elections in the United States.

Speaking on October 5, 2017 following an international meeting of senior security officials in Russia, Mr. Bortnikov denied the claims of Russia’s alleged meddling in any sovereign country’s affairs.

“Our position is unambiguous: the Russian Federation has never interfered in what was or is happening in the United States or in other countries,” Mr. Bortnikov said. “Our approach is to help and assist, but not to interfere,” the FSB chief stressed.

Moreover, he noted that the FSB never severed its channels of communication with the U.S. security services, despite the problems in the bilateral relationship.

“There are direct contacts between the heads of the security agencies, principally the CIA. And it does not only relate to the Syrian issue; it is about countering terrorism, in general,” Mr. Bortnikov stated.

Over 117 delegations from 76 states, as well as the U.N., the E.U., the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the C.I.S., have taken part in the 16th annual international meeting of security agencies held in Krasnodar, Russia.