Accusations that Russia interfered in last year’s U.S. elections are “lies” used for “domestic American politics,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday.

“We said on numerous occasions and I reiterate that we are confident … and know for sure that opinion polls in the United States show that very many people are … friendly towards the Russian Federation, and I’d like to tell these people that we perceive and regard the United States as a great power with which we want to establish good partnership relations,” Putin said on a CNBC-moderated panel.