Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with heads and editors of Russian mass media in Moscow, Russia January 11, 2018. Sputnik/Alexei Druzhinin/Kremlin via REUTERS

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday it was up to Washington and not Moscow to improve ties between the two countries.

Speaking to a group of Russian media executives, Putin said U.S. allegations that Russia had meddled in the U.S. presidential election were nonsense. He said he hoped Washington would realize the allegations were harming U.S. interests.