US President Donald Trump emerged from a meeting with Vladimir Putin on Monday, 16 July, saying he saw no reason to believe Russia had hacked the 2016 US presidential election, and the Russian leader "was extremely strong and powerful" in denying it.
Trump held his meeting just days after a special prosecutor in the United States indicted 12 Russian agents for stealing Democratic Party documents to help him win the vote.
At a rambling news conference after one-on-one talks, Trump said not a single critical word about Russia on any of the issues that have brought relations between the Washington and Moscow to a post-Cold War low, from Ukraine to Syria.
Asked if he trusted US intelligence agencies, which concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 election, Trump said he had been told by his CIA chief that Russia was to blame, but he was not certain.
"I don't see any reason why it would be Russia. President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today,” Trump said.
Before the summit even began, Trump blamed his own country for the deterioration in relations.
"Our relationship with Russia has NEVER been worse thanks to many years of US foolishness and stupidity and now, the Rigged Witch Hunt!"
The Russian foreign ministry "liked" his words and tweeted back: “We agree.”
At the news conference Trump was invited by reporters to offer even a single criticism of Russia, but repeatedly declined. Asked if Russia was at all to blame for the poor ties, he said: "I hold both countries responsible. I think the US has been foolish. We’ve all been foolish," he said, before veering into discussion about his election victory.
"I beat Hillary Clinton easily and frankly we beat her…We won that race and it’s a shame that there can be even a little bit of a cloud over it," he said.
Trump's repeated warm words for Russia were a marked contrast from the past week when he repeatedly rebuked traditional US allies at a summit of NATO and a visit to Britain.
Asked if Putin was an adversary, he said: "Actually I called him a competitor and a good competitor he is and I think the word competitor is a compliment."
US Lawmakers Call Trump’s Message To Putin ‘Weak And A Missed Opportunity’
US lawmakers from both parties on Monday criticised President Donald Trump for failing to issue a stern warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin about meddling in American elections, calling Trump's message to Putin weak and a missed opportunity.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said that it was a "missed opportunity by President Trump to firmly hold Russia accountable for 2016 meddling and deliver a strong warning regarding future elections."
At the Helsinki summit, Putin gave Trump a soccer ball from the World Cup hosted by Russia during the past month and as an acknowledgment the United States will co-host the 2026 tournament.
Senator Graham afterward tweeted, "Finally, if it were me, I’d check the soccer ball for listening devices and never allow it in the White House."
While Trump said he saw no reason to believe Russia had hacked the election to help him win, House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement that Russia undoubtedly interfered in the 2016 election.
"The president must appreciate that Russia is not our ally. There is no moral equivalence between the United States and Russia, which remains hostile to our most basic values and ideals," Ryan said.
Another Republican, Senator John McCain, described Trump's summit with Putin as "a tragic mistake."
Top House of Representatives Democrat Nancy Pelosi wrote on Twitter:
Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer said Trump's approach in Helsinki was unprecedented.
Republican Senator Jeff Flake called Trump's words "shameful" on Twitter and wrote:
Representative Adam Schiff, senior Democrat on the House of Representatives intelligence panel, predicted Putin will take Trump's remarks "as a green light to interfere" in 2018 congressional elections. Schiff called Trump "cowardly."
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, a Republican, said Trump's comments next to Putin made the United States look like a "pushover."
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