Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the United States of attempting to interfere in two of Russia’s presidential elections.

Axar.az reports citing Moscow times.

Speaking in an interview with U.S. movie director Oliver Stone, Putin said that U.S. diplomats had attempted to influence the vote during the 2000 and 2012 elections.

“It has always been this way,” Putin said. “The [interference] in 2012 was particularly aggressive.”

The president accused U.S. embassy officials of financing opposition movements. “Diplomats should instead be working to establish bilateral relations,” Putin said.