German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel warns Russia not to tamper with the upcoming German parliamentary elections in September, following accusations of Russian tampering in the US presidential election.

"Among German politicians there has been an assumption that our communication services are not completely free from the interests of other countries to be well informed," Gabriel says, referring to previous allegations of the US spying on German politicians.

Germany will defend itself against attempts "to interfere with communication in such a way that they are trying to influence opinion," Gabriel tells a press conference in Moscow alongside his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.

Gabriel says that Germany's elections must remain "uninfluenced" by such attempts.