Moscow and Washington are in talks to create a joint cyber security working group, Russia's RIA news agency reported on Thursday, citing Andrey Krutskikh, a special presidential envoy on cyber security.

"The talks are underway ... different proposals are being exchanged, nobody denies the necessity of holding the talks and of having such contacts," Krutskikh said, according to RIA.

Svetlana Lukash, a Russian official who was at the recent G20 summit of global leaders in Hamburg, said earlier this month that Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump had agreed to discuss cyber security questions, either via the United Nations or as part of a working group.

However, U.S. and European intelligence and security officials told Reuters on Thursday they were not participating in the talks, which they said were confined to mid-level political officials.

One of the officials, who like the others spoke on condition of anonymity, said cooperation on cyber security was a "pipe dream" while Russia continues to deny that it hacked last year's U.S. presidential election, as three U.S. intelligence agencies concluded publicly in January.

White House cyber coordinator Rob Joyce told reporters on Wednesday that no final decision had been made about Office of the Coordinator for Cyber Issues, but said the State Department would continue to play a prominent role in developing cyber norms and brokering international agreements.

Read more Reuters