US says it will welcome Russian observers for presidential election

Refuting allegations that the United States has disallowed Russian observers from monitoring next month's U.S. presidential election, Washington said Moscow is welcome to observe the elections.

When asked to comment about reports that said that the Russian consulate has been denied permission to observe the elections, US State Department spokesperson John Kirby said, "They're welcome to do that in accordance with established procedures. We told the Russian Government that they were welcome to observe our election."

He also said that the Russian officials had an opportunity to join the OSCE observation mission, which monitors elections in all its member states, including the United States, but the fact that they have chosen not to, makes it clear that this issue is nothing more than a PR stunt

"We're very confident in the stability, the security, and the strength of our electoral process. There's no reason to hide from that," added Kirby.

This comes as some officials accused Moscow of trying to undermine the presidential race through cyber attacks against political targets in the United States.