Trump showers praise on Putin in his fourth meeting with the Russian President
Helsinki : Standing side-by-side with Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump yesterday refused to blame the Russian leader for meddling in the US 2016 election, casting doubt on the findings of his own intelligence agencies and sparking a storm of criticism at home.
On a day when he faced pressure from critics, allied countries and even his own staff to take a tough line, Trump spoke not a single disparaging word in public about Moscow on any of the issues that have brought relations between the two powers to the lowest ebb since the Cold War.
Instead, he denounced the “stupidity” of his own country’s policy, especially the decision to investigate election interference following the conclusions drawn by US intelligence agencies.
Asked if he believed US intelligence agencies, which concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 election in an effort to help him defeat Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, he said he was not convinced.
“I don’t see any reason why it would be” Russia, Trump said. “President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today.”
In one response, the Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, a Trump nominee approved by Congress, said in a statement, “We have been clear in our assessments of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and their ongoing, pervasive efforts to undermine our democracy, and we will continue to provide unvarnished and objective intelligence in support of our national security.”
Hours after the Helsinki summit, Trump tweeted, “I have GREAT confidence in MY intelligence people.”
At the news conference, Trump was invited by reporters to offer any criticism of Russia but he 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.
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