+ A
A -
Reuters
HELSINKI
Standing side-by-side with Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump on Monday refused to blame the Russian leader for meddling in the 2016 elections, 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 said not a single critical word 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 findings of US intelligence agencies. A prosecutor announced an indictment three days ago of Russian spies for hacking into Democratic Party networks.
Trump's performance at a joint news conference in Helsinki stirred a wave of condemnation in the United States, where the White House has struggled for months to dispel a suggestion that Trump was unwilling to stand up to Putin.
His performance was denounced as"treasonous"by a former CIA chief and condemned as"shameful"by a Republican senator, although some other Republicans were more cautious.
Asked if he believed US intelligence agencies, which concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 election 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."
