Russian election hacking was ‘warfare’, says US ambassador to the UN

Nikki Haley said the Kremlin must be held accountable for meddling

The President with Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit in Hamburg (AP)

One of America’s most senior diplomats has said that Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election constitutes an act of “warfare”.

In a strongly worded address in New York, Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN also called for the Kremlin to be held accountable for meddling.

“Don't interfere in our elections,” she said at the Spirit of Liberty conference held by the George W. Bush Institute. “When a country can come interfere in another country’s elections, that is warfare. It really is, because you're making sure that the democracy shifts from what the people want. This is [Russia's] weapon of choice and we have to make sure we get in front of it.”

She also said the actions of Mr Putin’s government had prompted US intelligence agencies to work “overtime” to prepare for further cyber threats.

But Ms Haley’s strongly worded rebuke to Vladimir Putin’s government put her at odds with Donald Trump, who this week called for an end to the investigation into alleged collusion between his presidential campaign and Russia.

On Monday Mr Trump said the investigations should draw to a close, saying he is the subject of a “witch hunt”, and because “the American public is sick of it”.

“There has been absolutely no collusion. It’s been stated that they have no collusion,” Mr Trump said.

“The whole Russian thing was an excuse for the Democrats losing the election and it turns out to be just one excuse,” the President told reporters.

Ms Haley has maintained a strong stance on the subject of Russian interference in the election.

In July, a day before President Trump met with President Putin in Hamburg, Ms Haley said: “Everybody knows that Russia meddled in our elections. Everybody knows that they’re not just meddling in the United States’ election. They’re doing this across multiple continents, and they’re doing this in a way that they’re trying to cause chaos within the countries.”

Mr Putin and Mr Trump both said the US President pressed the issue, during their two hour meeting, and Mr Putin subsequently said the US President had accepted his answers, which included a strong

In another interview, Ms Haley declined to comment on what sort of consequences Russia may face for its interference in the election.

“I think you’re going to have to ask the President,” she told CBS in July.