US hacking not in Russian interests; Putin

The scandal that erupted in the United States over allegations Russia hacked Democratic Party emails has not been in Russia's interests, President Vladimir Putin says.

He said on Wednesday all sides in the US presidential race were misusing rhetoric about Russia for their own ends, but that Moscow would work with whoever won the election.

It is hard to hold a dialogue with the current US administration because it prefers dictate to dialogue, Putin said.

Saying that Russia was worried about the worsening of its relations with the United States, Putin said Washington had financed Ukraine's radical opposition and assisted a coup d'etat there.

Russia was then forced to protect ethnic Russians living in Ukraine, he told an economic forum.

"There is a need to behave like partners and take each other's interests into account," Putin said, referring to US-Russian ties. "We are ready for that."