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To outrage in Washington, President Donald Trump has lent weight to Russian denials of meddling in US elections at his inaugural summit with Vladimir Putin, where the pair championed a fresh start in relations between the world's leading nuclear powers.
The US and Russian presidents came out of their meeting in Helsinki expressing a desire to talk again on global challenges, after discussing an array of issues from Syria, Ukraine and China to trade tariffs and the size of their nuclear arsenals.
There were indications of an arrangement to work together and with Israel to support a ceasefire in southern Syria, suggesting that the US administration is backing off its demand that Moscow's ally Bashar al-Assad step down.
If that is anathema to many in Washington, Trump's apparent concessions to Putin over the elections controversy drew stinging condemnation from across the political divide.
Standing alongside the Kremlin boss at a joint news conference, Trump acknowledged that his intelligence chiefs believe Russia hacked and leaked Democrats' emails containing politically damaging information about his rival Hillary Clinton in 2016.
But, insisting he had won the race fair and square, the wealthy property tycoon said: "I have President Putin, he just said it is not Russia. I will say this: I don't see any reason why it would be." Friday's US indictment of 12 Russian military intelligence agents exploded with embarrassing timing for Trump as he prepared to meet Putin. On Monday, officials said another Russian agent had been arrested for seeking to influence US politics.
But the US leader insisted that his counterpart had delivered a "powerful" denial of any Russian manipulation, and that the investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller was proving a "disaster" for the United States.
Trump again denied any collusion between his campaign and the Kremlin, while Putin insisted: "The Russian state has never interfered and is not planning to interfere in the USA's internal affairs." In fact, Trump welcomed a surprise offer by Putin to help in the investigation.
As criticism mounted, Trump tweeted from Air Force One on his way home from Finland that he had "GREAT confidence in MY intelligence people".
"However, I also recognise that in order to build a brighter future, we cannot exclusively focus on the past - as the world's two largest nuclear powers, we must get along." The tweet came after Trump's seeming disavowal of his own FBI and intelligence agencies had immediately provoked a firestorm back home, even in his own party.
Senior Republican Senator John McCain said the press conference was "disgraceful" and a "low point" for the US presidency.
Today’s press conference in #Helsinki was one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory.
My full statement on the #HelsinkiSummit: https://t.co/lApjctZyZl
"Coming close on the heels of President Trump's bombastic and erratic conduct towards our closest friends and allies in Brussels and Britain, today's press conference marks a recent low point in the history of the American presidency," he said.
And the top Democrat in the US Senate, Chuck Schumer, said Trump was "putting himself over our country" by siding with Putin instead of his own officials.
"Millions of Americans will continue to wonder if the only possible explanation for this dangerous behaviour is the possibility that President Putin holds damaging information over President Trump," he tweeted.
For the president of the United States to side with President Putin against American law enforcement, American defense officials, and American intelligence agencies is thoughtless, dangerous, and weak. The president is putting himself over our country.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) July 16, 2018Starting with the president’s trip to NATO and ending with his shameful performance at today’s press conference, @realDonaldTrump has strengthened our adversaries while weakening our defenses and those of our allies.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) July 16, 2018A single, ominous question now hangs over the White House: what could possibly cause @realDonaldTrump to put the interests of Russia over those of the United States
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) July 16, 2018Millions of Americans will continue to wonder if the only possible explanation for this dangerous behavior is the possibility that President Putin holds damaging information over President Trump.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) July 16, 2018Putin, however, denied the notion that Russian spy bosses may hold compromising information on Trump, who in his previous business career oversaw the Miss Universe pageant in Moscow in 2013.
"Please get this rubbish out of your heads," the Russian leader said.
The two leaders appeared relaxed at the news conference, smiling on occasion, in contrast to their sombre demeanour at the start of the day.
Putin presented Trump with a World Cup football, a day after attending the final of the much-praised tournament in Moscow. Trump said he was happy to pass the ball on to his 12-year-old son Barron.
Trump, bent on forging a personal bond with the Kremlin chief despite the election allegations, went into the summit blaming the "stupidity" of his predecessors for plunging ties to their present low.
His manner towards Putin was also a contrast to the anger Trump flashed at NATO allies at a combative summit of the alliance in Brussels last week, which critics said would only hearten Putin.
But over breakfast with Finland's President Sauli Niinisto, Trump declared that NATO "has never been stronger" and "never been more together" thanks to his insistence on all allies paying their fair share.
A post-NATO trip to Britain, supposedly America's partner in a "special relationship", was riddled with controversy as well.
In Helsinki, however, Trump was determined to accentuate the positive, as was Putin.
"Our relationship has never been worse than it is now. However, that changed as of about four hours ago. I really believe that," Trump said, vowing the summit was "only the beginning".
Putin said: "It is obvious to everyone that bilateral ties are going through a difficult period. However there are no objective reasons for these difficulties, the current tense atmosphere." Praising a "frank and business-like atmosphere," the Russian leader said he considered the talks "very successful and useful".
US intel chief stands by assessment of Russian meddling
The top US intelligence official said assessments of Russian meddling in the 2016 election have been "clear" and described the Kremlin's efforts to undermine the United States' democracy as "ongoing" and "pervasive".
The statement from Dan Coats, the Director of National Intelligence, followed comments earlier Monday from Trump at a news conference with Putin in Helsinki, where Trump cast doubt on the credibility of US intelligence assessments.
Trump has long been at odds with his own intelligence community, largely clashing over a report released by US intelligence officials concluding that Putin ordered "an influence campaign" in 2016 aimed at helping Trump win the presidency.
'US-Russia ties should not be held hostage to Mueller probe'
Putin described the probe by Mueller into Moscow's election meddling as "political games" that should not be permitted to interfere with US-Russia relations.
"It's the internal political games of the United States," Putin told Fox News in an interview.
"Don't make the relationship between Russia and the United States, don't hold it hostage of this internal political struggle," Putin said, speaking through a translator.
