MOSCOW. June 18 (Interfax) - The issue of U.S. cyberattacks on Russia might be raised if the presidents of Russia and the United States, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, meet on the sidelines of the G20 Osaka summit, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the press on Tuesday.
"We cannot rule that out," Peskov said when asked whether the presidents might address the issue of U.S. cyberattacks experienced by Russia.
Foreign Intelligence Service chief Sergei Naryshkin said earlier on Tuesday that Russia had seen cyberattacks on its critical infrastructure that were coming from the United States.
"This is not something new," Peskov said. "In saying 'us' I mean various financial institutions, media outlets, government agencies, and elements of critical infrastructure. We have been experiencing such 'attacks' coming from various Western countries, including the U.S., for several years," he said.
This is a big problem, which is why Putin has repeatedly invited Washington to cooperate in the field of cybersecurity, Peskov said. "Our colleagues in the United States have been rejecting our proposals," he said.
There have been attempts to send malware, gain control over resources, and to hack systems, Peskov said.
However, Russia is capable of responding to such attacks, he said. "Providing cybersecurity is our response to such attacks. There are relevant agencies working day and night to ensure our cybersecurity," he said.
Cyberattacks were launched during last year's Q&A session of the president, Peskov said. "Several days before last year's Q&A session, its website and our two major television channels experienced a powerful DoS attack coming from abroad," he said.
The practice isn't new, but does have some fresh elements, Peskov said. "It is new that such information is starting to penetrate the United States for the first time. That's what's new about this situation," he said.