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Trump Putin: Russian leader invited to visit US Trump Putin: Incredulity as Russian leader is invited to visit US
(about 3 hours later)
US President Donald Trump has invited Russian leader Vladimir Putin to visit the US in the autumn, his press secretary says. President Donald Trump has invited Russian leader Vladimir Putin to visit America, in a move that drew startled laughter from a US intelligence chief.
Sarah Sanders tweeted that discussions for the visit were already under way. "That's gonna be special!" said Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, when he was told about the invitation during a live interview.
Earlier Mr Trump rejected a proposal by Mr Putin to allow Russia to question US citizens. A row is continuing over Mr Trump's first summit with Mr Putin, in Helsinki, where they talked privately.
The two leaders held a summit in Finland on Monday but few details of what they discussed have emerged. Opposition Democrats say there should be no more one-to-one talks.
There has been no word from Russia about a second Trump-Putin meeting. "Until we know what happened at that two-hour meeting in Helsinki, the president should have no more one-on-one interactions with Putin," said the top Democratic senator, Chuck Schumer, in a statement. "In the United States, in Russia, or anywhere else."
Controversy has raged over the Helsinki summit, with Mr Trump having to correct his own words from the press conference which followed. Mr Trump's presidency has been clouded by allegations that Russian hackers meddled in the 2016 US presidential election in his favour. The Kremlin denies the allegations.
But on Thursday Mr Trump said the talks had been a "great success" and he was looking forward to their next meeting. In Helsinki, Mr Putin offered access to 12 Russians indicted in absentia by the US authorities over the alleged interference, on condition the Russian authorities could question 12 Americans over a different case. Mr Trump first praised the suggestion as "incredible" but later rejected it.
What reaction is there to the planned Putin visit? Since his return from Finland, he or the White House have had to correct or clarify other comments regarding Russia, creating confusion and prompting the Democrats to demand details of his private talks with Mr Putin.
The announcement appeared to come as a surprise to US Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, who was told about it during a live interview at the Aspen Security Forum in the state of Colorado.
He laughed and said: "That's going to be special."
He added that he did not yet know what Mr Trump and Mr Putin had discussed during their meeting, at which only their interpreters were also present.
US Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called for Mr Trump to reveal what he had discussed with Mr Putin.
"Until we know what happened at that two-hour meeting in Helsinki, the president should have no more one-on-one interactions with Putin," he said. "In the United States, in Russia, or anywhere else."
Trump prepares a sequelTrump prepares a sequel
By Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, WashingtonBy Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Washington
Donald Trump has tweeted that the summit with Mr Putin was a "great success" and people at "higher ends of intelligence" loved his Helsinki news conference. As if to underline that point, plans are already under way for a sequel - this time in Washington DC.Donald Trump has tweeted that the summit with Mr Putin was a "great success" and people at "higher ends of intelligence" loved his Helsinki news conference. As if to underline that point, plans are already under way for a sequel - this time in Washington DC.
Never mind that the White House has spent three days trying to clean up the political fallout from the summit amid bipartisan criticism, or that the special counsel investigation into Russian meddling in 2016 continues apace.Never mind that the White House has spent three days trying to clean up the political fallout from the summit amid bipartisan criticism, or that the special counsel investigation into Russian meddling in 2016 continues apace.
Mr Trump may have been encouraged by recent opinion polling showing that while the public at large is uneasy with Mr Trump's Russia policies, his Republican base - by a sizeable majority - is fine with his performance.Mr Trump may have been encouraged by recent opinion polling showing that while the public at large is uneasy with Mr Trump's Russia policies, his Republican base - by a sizeable majority - is fine with his performance.
The president campaigned on closer ties with Russia, a goal that had been thwarted during his first year in office. With his base still behind him, Mr Trump appears ready to press on with his efforts.The president campaigned on closer ties with Russia, a goal that had been thwarted during his first year in office. With his base still behind him, Mr Trump appears ready to press on with his efforts.
How did Trump respond to Putin's suggestion? What do we know about Putin's potential visit?
The US president "disagrees" with a proposal made by Mr Putin that Russia be allowed to question US citizens in return for access to 12 Russians indicted by the US over alleged hacking and election interference. Mr Putin, in power in Russia since 2000, last visited the US in 2015, when he met President Barack Obama, Mr Trump's predecessor, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York to discuss the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria.
The White House had earlier said it would consider the proposal, which Mr Trump called a "tremendous" gesture. On Thursday, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted that discussions about a visit by Mr Putin to Washington DC this autumn were already under way.
The idea of allowing a foreign power to quiz US citizens sparked outrage and the US Senate voted 98-0 against it. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said it was "not going to happen". Russia's ambassador to Washington, Anatoly Antonov, said his country had always been open to the idea of a visit but it was "up to the Kremlin to decide how many summits are needed, and when".
It came after Mr Putin, asked in Helsinki whether he would extradite the 12 Russian intelligence agents indicted in the US for hacking Democratic Party computers, said he would meet the US government "halfway". The announcement appeared to come as a surprise to US intelligence chief Mr Coats, who was told about it during a live interview at the Aspen Security Forum in the state of Colorado.
Mr Putin said Russia wanted to question US nationals the Kremlin accuses of "illegal actions". He added that he did not yet know what Mr Trump and Mr Putin had discussed during their meeting, at which only the pair and their interpreters were present.
US Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who issued the indictments against the 12 Russians last week, said on Thursday that the US would seek to warn the public in future when it believed foreign states were trying to influence elections. What was Putin's 'incredible offer'?
"The Russian effort to influence the 2016 campaign is just one tree in a growing forest," he said, speaking at the Aspen Security Forum. Asked at the post-summit news conference in Helsinki whether he would extradite 12 Russian intelligence agents indicted in the US for hacking Democratic Party computers, Mr Putin said he would meet the US government "halfway".
The US citizens Russia would like to question are related to Moscow's case against the financier Bill Browder, a fierce Putin critic who was instrumental in the US imposing sanctions in 2012 on top Russian officials accused of corruption. He said Russia wanted, in turn, to question US citizens in a case against financier Bill Browder, who was instrumental in the US imposing sanctions in 2012 on top Russian officials accused of corruption.
Mr Browder told the BBC he was glad Mr Trump "isn't going to hand me over to President Putin" and said the US leader should have immediately rejected the idea. At the same news conference, Mr Trump said: "He [Mr Putin] offered to have the people working on the case come and work with their investigations with respect to the 12 people. I think that's an incredible offer."
Russia was also seeking to interview Michael McFaul, another Putin critic who was US ambassador to Moscow under President Barack Obama. However, now he says he "disagrees" with the proposal.
Allowing Russian officials to interview Mr McFaul would be a violation of the longstanding tradition that foreign diplomats have legal immunity. The idea of allowing Russia to quiz US citizens sparked outrage and the US Senate voted 98-0 against it. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said it was "not going to happen".
What else has happened since the Trump-Putin summit? Mr Browder has told the BBC he is glad Mr Trump "isn't going to hand me over to President Putin".
Following his summit with Vladimir Putin, President Trump has been fighting accusations he failed to stand up to the Russian leader. President Trump has also clarified remarks at the news conference in which he said he saw no reason for Russia to have meddled in the 2016 US election - despite US intelligence concluding just that.
He clarified remarks he made at a news conference after the meeting, in which he said he saw no reason why Russia would meddle in the 2016 US election - despite US intelligence concluding just that.
Speaking to 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".Speaking to 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".
Mr Putin has also described the summit as "successful" but warned "there are forces in the United States that are prepared to casually sacrifice Russian-US relations".Mr Putin has also described the summit as "successful" but warned "there are forces in the United States that are prepared to casually sacrifice Russian-US relations".