Trump on Putin's meeting: all was not rosy

By Doina Chiacu

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – US President Donald Trump defended his efforts to build a relationship with Vladimir Putin in an interview broadcast Friday after invited the Russian leader for a second meeting in the middle of a tumult on their first.

The Trump administration sought to control the damage of Monday's summit in Helsinki, where the president amazed the world and drew fierce criticism from Putin about US intelligence agencies over the interference of Moscow in the 2016 presidential election.

While the White House was trying to put some distance between the two leaders, Trump made a reverse move on Thursday proposing to host Putin in Washington. l & # 39; fall.

In a television interview recorded Thursday, Trump said he and Putin, who, according to US intelligence agencies, have been interfering in influencing the 2016 vote toward Trump, had "1965, the fact is that we get on well together, "he told CNBC, adding that the two were not in agreement on everything. two o'clock. Trump said, without specifying: "We have frankly discussed a lot of good things for both countries.

Five days after the Helsinki meeting, US officials and lawmakers remained in the dark. what the leaders discussed during their two-hour session, one-on-one with only present interpreters

Trump listed on Twitter the topics that he and Putin talked about, but did not give details. Radio Australia said Thursday that the two leaders had "tackled a wide range of issues," without giving further details.

Conflicting messages from the White House this week added to the confusion after Trump's trip abroad. closer to Russia after the alienation of NATO allies.

Upon his return from Helsinki, Trump said to be poorly expressed at a joint press conference with Putin when he asked why Russia would have interfered in the 2016 elections

Trump's answer to a reporter who asked if Russia was still targeting the United States was his refusal to answer his questions.

On Thursday, after an outcry in Congress, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders issued a statement that Trump "does not agree" with Putin's proposal to ask to the Russian authorities to interrogate Americans suspected of illegal activity by Moscow, including a former US ambbadador to Moscow, Michael McFaul. SYRIA, UKRAINE

As US officials sought information on the meeting, Moscow on Friday offered excerpts from its version.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has indicated that it is sending detailed proposals. Washington has organized the return of more than 1.7 million refugees to Syria after agreements reached by Putin and Trump, reported the RIA news agency

The White House and State Department n & rsquo; Have not responded to requests for comment.

Putin also made concrete proposals to Trump over the resolution of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, the Interfax news agency reported, quoting the Russian ambbadador to United States, Anatoly Antonov. The ambbadador said that Russia was ready to discuss a new draft meeting between Putin and Trump, said Interfax.

US intelligence agencies concluded last year that Russia has conducted a campaign of piracy and piracy. propaganda for the 2016 US elections, seeking to sow discord and denigrate Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

Putin denied any interference of this type. Irritated by a Russian federal investigation that also examines whether Trump's election campaign worked with Moscow, Trump long denied any collusion and denounced the inquiry as a witch hunt

"TRUMP GOT PLAYED"

Illustrating the gap between Trump and some of his own advisers, National Intelligence Director Dan Coats said Thursday that he did not know what Trump and Putin discussed at their private meeting.

Coats got wind of the second meeting with Putin when the White House announced it on Twitter, while he was being interviewed at the Aspen conference.

With the fallout from President Putin's meeting of the month, critics of his performance in Helsinki included many Republicans.

A Republican congressman and former CIA officer, William Hurd, wrote an opinion piece in the New York Times on Thursday, titled "Trump Is Handled by Putin, What Should We Do?" [19659024] "Many of us have warned against this," said Mark Warner, the Senate's most senior Democratic Intelligence Committee, Friday on MSNBC: "Trump was played, he was played for a fool embarrbaded our country and frankly embarrbaded many of my colleagues across the board – Democrats, Republicans alike. "

(Report by Doina Chiacu and Susan Heavey in Washington, Andrey Ostroukh and Vladimir Soldatkinin in Moscow, editorial by Doina Chiacu, Editor by Frances Kerry)

This story was not edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by self-feeding.