The Kremlin says US Democratic presidential challenger Joe Biden's assessment of Russia as the biggest threat to America's national security is wrong and encourages hatred of Russia.
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The comments come just more than a week before Biden faces Donald Trump in the Nov. 3 US presidential election. Biden is ahead in the polls.
"We absolutely do not agree," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday.
"We can only regret that absolute hatred of the Russian Federation is spread in this way."
Moscow's ties with Washington sank to post-Cold War lows in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine. Biden was serving as vice-president under Barack Obama at the time.
Relations were further soured after US intelligence agencies concluded Russia tried to interfere in the 2016 US presidential election to tilt the contest in Trump's favour, an allegation Moscow has denied.
Russia has also dismissed accusations of trying to interfere with this year's election.
Biden named Russia as Washington's most serious global threat in an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes on Sunday, while calling China the biggest competitor.
"Well, I think the biggest threat to America right now in terms of breaking up our security and our alliances is Russia," Biden said.
Putin, who has praised Trump for saying he wanted better ties with Moscow, has said Russia will work with any US leader, while noting Biden's "sharp anti-Russian rhetoric".
Putin said on Sunday he saw nothing criminal in past business ties with Ukraine or Russia developed by Biden's son Hunter, marking out his disagreement with one of Trump's attack lines in the US election.
Analysts say Putin's behaviour looks as if he is hedging his bets on who wins the US election.
Australian Associated Press
