MOSCOW, June 18. /TASS/. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has blasted as absurd accusations that Russia along with China and Iran are advancing disinformation campaigns against European Union member states since the coronavirus pandemic began.
"As for disinformation, we believe that these accusations are absurd," Peskov told reporters.
The spokesman underlined that the Kremlin "categorically disagrees with these claims." "On the contrary, both Russia and China constantly support international cooperation to fight coronavirus, to develop vaccines and to create medicine to counter this infection," he noted.
The European Commission recently issued a statement, alleging, "Foreign actors and certain third countries, in particular Russia and China, have engaged in targeted influence operations and disinformation campaigns around COVID-19 in the EU, its neighbourhood and globally, seeking to undermine democratic debate and exacerbate social polarisation, and improve their own image in the COVID-19 context."
It is not the first time the European Commission has accused Russia and China of disinformation campaigns. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in late April said that such statements issued by the EU are not proven by any facts. The minister then noted that Russia got used to "western colleagues increasingly trying to find unifying motives, inventing Russian or any other threat."