Jessica Durando

USA TODAY

Russian President Vladimir Putin denied Wednesday that his government hacked Democratic Party emails, as alleged by the United States government, saying the scandal "has nothing to do with Russia's interests."

Putin asserted at a business forum in Moscow that the accusations were meant to divert voters' attention during a contested presidential race, Reuters reported.

"Everyone is talking about 'who did it' (the hacking)," Putin said, according to Reuters. "But is it that important? The most important thing is what is inside this information."

Putin argued that both sides of the U.S. presidential race were manipulating remarks about Russia for their own gains. However, the Russian leader said he would work with whoever wins the election.

"About a decade ago, they wouldn't mention Russia at all, because it was not even worth talking about, such a third-rate regional power and not interesting at all. Now Russia is problem number one in the entire election campaign," Putin said, according to Reuters.

In response to Putin’s remarks, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Russia’s motives for the hacking should be relevant for American voters.

“It is important for people to know that the intelligence community of the United States has concluded that Russia is stealing emails and disclosing them in an attempt to destabilize our political system,” Earnest said Wednesday. “That’s an important piece of information.”

After weeks of accusations on background, the Obama administration on Friday formally pointed the finger at Russia over a series of recent hacks.

U.S. formally points finger at Russians over hacking

"The U.S. Intelligence Community (USIC) is confident that the Russian Government directed the recent compromises of e-mails from U.S. persons and institutions, including from U.S. political organizations," said a statement from the Department of Homeland Security.

Contributing: Gregory Korte, David Jackson