U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham recently revealed that Russia and President Vladimir Putin should expect tough sanctions after cyber attacks during the presidential election, won by Donald Trump.

“To be honest, we are tired of lie about the ‘Russian hackers’, which is being poured down in the United States from the very top,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

She also called reports of possible new sanctions a “provocation directed by the White House”.

On the other hand Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said a price of $45 per barrel of oil was “balanced” for both suppliers and consumers, Reuters reported.

In an interview with the Rossiya-24 state TV channel, he also said that budget revenues from oil and gas sales had dropped by 18 percent this year due to weaker prices.

Benchmark Brent crude oil front-month futures currently trade at over $56 per barrel.