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Trump Putin: Russian leader attacks US critics of summit Trump Putin: Russian leader attacks US critics of summit
(about 1 hour later)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has rounded on US critics of his first bilateral summit with President Donald Trump. Russian President Vladimir Putin has rounded on US critics of his first summit with President Donald Trump.
Certain forces in the US wanted to sacrifice US-Russian ties for their "narrow party interests", he told a meeting of Russian diplomats in Moscow.Certain forces in the US wanted to sacrifice US-Russian ties for their "narrow party interests", he told a meeting of Russian diplomats in Moscow.
"They are feeding millions of their people stories," he said."They are feeding millions of their people stories," he said.
Mr Trump has been accused of taking a soft line on Russia, which denies meddling in the 2016 US election. Mr Trump has faced fierce criticism for contradicting his own intelligence agencies by refusing to blame Russia for meddling in the 2016 election.
Days of controversy and confusion have followed Monday's summit in Helsinki, where President Trump appeared to support Mr Putin's contention that there was no Russian interference in the presidential election which saw Mr Trump gain power. He later said he had misspoken at the summit, but accusations he has taken too soft a line on Russia have not gone away.
It followed meetings with fellow Nato leaders and a trip to the UK, which saw Mr Trump take a far harder line in public with longstanding allies than subsequently with Mr Putin. In his comments, Mr Putin said the meeting had been "successful and has led to useful agreements".
On Thursday, Mr Trump accused opponents of preferring to go to war rather than seeing good relations with Russia. "Of course, it remains to be seen how the situation will develop, especially given that certain forces in America are trying to belittle and undermine the results of the meeting," he added.
Despite the controversy, Republican voters seem to be sticking by Mr Trump. US special counsel Robert Mueller is currently investigating allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and whether there was collusion among the Trump campaign team, something denied by both.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll this week found that despite a firestorm of media criticism, Mr Trump's Finland summit had no real impact on his overall approval ratings.
In the survey, 42% of all registered voters approved of his job performance, which is consistent with averages thus far.
Some 71% of Republicans polled approved of his response to Russia, while only 14% of Democrats were in favour.
What has Trump said?What has Trump said?
On Tuesday, Mr Trump insisted that he had "misspoken" during the summit press conference when he appeared to side with Mr Putin over claims of Kremlin meddling in US elections. Much of the outrage stemmed from one comment Mr Trump made when he appeared alongside Mr Putin on Monday.
It came as US intelligence chief Dan Coats said Russia was involved in "ongoing, pervasive efforts to undermine our democracy". During a news conference, Mr Trump was asked whether he believed US intelligence agencies' conclusions or Mr Putin about whether Russia had meddled.
During an interview with CBS News on Wednesday, Mr Trump said that he would consider Mr Putin personally responsible for any Russian interference. He replied: "My people came to me... they said they think it's Russia. I have President Putin; he just said it's not Russia. I will say this: I don't see any reason why it would be."
"Just like I consider myself to be responsible for things that happen in this country," he said. "So certainly as the leader of a country you would have to hold him responsible, yes." Amid pressure even from allies to clarify, the following day he said he had misspoken.
Mr Trump added that he was "very strong on the fact that we can't have meddling" in his conversation behind closed doors in Helsinki with Russia's leader. On Wednesday, he sparked fresh controversy by appearing to say "no" when asked if Russia was still targeting the US, again contradicting intelligence agencies.
The White House later said the US president had been saying "no" to further questions from reporters and that the threat to the US electoral system "still exists".
During an interview with CBS News on Wednesday, Mr Trump said he held Mr Putin personally responsible for interfering in the election, and that he was "very strong on the fact that we can't have meddling".
On Thursday, Mr Trump accused opponents of preferring to go to war rather than seeing good relations with Russia. In a series of tweets he said he was keen to meet Mr Putin again.
So the anger is all about the 2016 election?
There is more to it than that. Some lawmakers were also upset by Mr Trump when he declined to offer any particular criticism for the state of US-Russia relations, saying instead "I think we've all been foolish."
The White House is facing further criticism for not ruling out a Russian proposal to question US citizens accused by the Kremlin of "illegal activities".
One of those being sought by Russia is former US ambassador to Moscow Michael McFaul, but allowing him to be questioned would breach the legal immunity normally granted to a country's foreign service.
Politicians from both sides of the US political divide have rubbished the idea - one Democrat congressman called the suggestion "crazy".
FBI director Christopher Wray also dismissed it, saying "it's certainly not high on our list of investigative techniques".
What now?What now?
US lawmakers are calling for a court demand to be issued for the notes of the US translator who accompanied Mr Trump to his two-hour meeting with Mr Putin.US lawmakers are calling for a court demand to be issued for the notes of the US translator who accompanied Mr Trump to his two-hour meeting with Mr Putin.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is due to testify before the Senate next week about the summit. The two leaders met privately at the summit with only their interpreters present.
Nancy Pelosi, Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, tried on Tuesday to stage a symbolic vote to support the findings of Russian interference, but was blocked by Republicans.Nancy Pelosi, Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, tried on Tuesday to stage a symbolic vote to support the findings of Russian interference, but was blocked by Republicans.
Senators Jeff Flake and Chris Coons, an Arizona Republican and a Delaware Democrat, are reportedly working on a non-binding resolution to endorse the intelligence committee's findings.Senators Jeff Flake and Chris Coons, an Arizona Republican and a Delaware Democrat, are reportedly working on a non-binding resolution to endorse the intelligence committee's findings.
But Texas Republican John Cornyn said the Senate should focus on "additional sanctions instead of just some messaging exercise".But Texas Republican John Cornyn said the Senate should focus on "additional sanctions instead of just some messaging exercise".
What did Trump say at the summit? Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is due to testify before the Senate next week about the summit.
During a news conference after Monday's summit, Mr Trump was asked about alleged Russian meddling in the US election. Despite the controversy, Republican voters seem to be sticking by Mr Trump, with a Reuters/Ipsos poll this week finding that Mr Trump's Finland summit had no real impact on his overall approval ratings.
According to a transcript posted by the White House, he said: "My people came to me... they said they think it's Russia. I have President Putin; he just said it's not Russia. I will say this: I don't see any reason why it would be."
The summit comments sparked a barrage of criticism from lawmakers across the political spectrum, with many calling on him to correct himself.
On Tuesday, Mr Trump said he had reviewed the transcript and realised he needed to clarify.
"The sentence should have been: 'I don't see any reason why I wouldn't' or 'why it wouldn't be Russia'. Sort of a double negative."
Mr Trump said that the interference had had no impact on the election, in which he defeated Hillary Clinton.
However, he did not respond when reporters asked him if he would condemn Mr Putin.