US presents new effort to counter Kremlin influence

WARSAW, Poland (AP) - An official with the U.S. Agency for International Development has described a new American effort to help democratic institutions withstand Kremlin interference in targeted countries.

USAID calls the effort "Countering Malign Kremlin Influence" and describes it as a framework to help countries including Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova protect their elections, counter propaganda and avoid energy dependence on Russia.

The effort was first announced in Paris in July. On Thursday, USAID Assistant Administrator Brock Bierman described it to diplomats in Warsaw, Poland, delivering a message of reassurance that the United States remains committed to democracy across a region that shook off Moscow's control three decades ago.

Bierman spoke at the Community of Democracies, a global coalition of democratic states headquartered in Warsaw.