Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday accused United States politicians of scaremongering by talking constantly about Moscow’s alleged influence on the upcoming presidential elections in the country. Putin said the US was accusing Russia of several crimes, but was not honouring the agreements between the two countries, Reuters reported.

“Does anyone really think that Russia could influence the American people’s choice in any way?” Putin said while addressing a group of foreign policy experts. “Is America a banana republic or what? America is a great power,” Putin said, adding that US leaders were using Moscow to distract their voters from issues such as gun control and national debt.

The Russian president further denied that Republican Party nominee Donald Trump was the Kremlin’s favoured candidate, even as he praised the businessman’s campaign, according to The Guardian. “I think he is representing the interests of that part of the American electorate…that is tired of the same elite who have been in power for decades,” he said.

However, White House spokesperson Josh Earnest said the country stood by its allegations that Russian-backed hackers conducted cyber attacks against Democratic Party organisations. Earnest said that none of Putin’s remarks had undermined President Barack Obama’s “confidence in the analysis that’s been released by the Department of Homeland Security and the intelligence community”.

Tensions between the two countries have risen since the Russian annexation of Crimea in March 2014. Moscow’s support to Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad’s government has also led to a further strain in ties, with the US supporting rebel groups opposed to Assad’s regime. The issue of Russia has also taken the national spotlight in the US elections, with Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton accusing Trump of being Putin’s “puppet”.