Trump will 'absolutely' ask Putin about US election meddling

Ahead of his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 16, United States President Donald Trump on Friday said that he will "absolutely" ask his Russian counterpart about Moscow's alleged involvement in the US presidential election.

Trump will hold his first summit with Putin in Helsinki on Monday after meeting with NATO allies.

He said he does not have huge expectations for resolving key disputes between the two countries and would instead focus on building a relationship with the Russian leader, reported USA Today.

"I will absolutely bring that up," Trump said of Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

"I don't think you'll have any 'Gee, I did it, I did it. You got me!' There won't be Perry Mason here, I don't think. But I will absolutely, firmly ask the question," he added.

Speaking at a press conference alongside British Prime Minister Theresa May, Trump seemed reluctant on a question of whether the US and Russia could realistically build a stronger alliance given Moscow's intervention in Ukraine.

Replying to that, Trump blamed former US President Barack Obama for not doing enough at the time to respond to the crisis.

"This was an Obama disaster. I think if I were president then, he would not have taken over Crimea," he said.

Russia had earlier denied meddling in the US election campaign and Trump called special counsel Robert Mueller's probe on the Russian interference a "political witch hunt".

Trump and his wife Melania are on a four-day trip to the UK.