Russia today called new US election meddling claims "hysteria" that "makes a mockery" of America after Washington accused Moscow of a continued campaign to influence its public opinion.

It was the latest round of tit-for-tat barbs between the two powers over allegations by US intelligence agencies that Moscow interfered in the 2016 US election that brought Donald Trump to office. "The two-year hysteria over some kind of Russian interference in elections - which never happened - does not only damage bilateral relations but makes a mockery of the whole political system in the US," foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told journalists.