Russia meddling: Trump backs intelligence agencies

Bloomberg

US President Donald Trump once again waded into the controversy of whether he thinks Russia meddled in last year’s election, saying on Sunday that he believes
“very much in our intelligence agencies.”
A day earlier, the US leader said that Vladimir Putin believed he didn’t interfere, prompting questions about whether Trump actually took the Russian president at his word. The two leaders had met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vietnam.
Trump’s comment drew fire even from some Republicans,
such as Senator John McCain of Arizona, who questioned why the president would believe of a former KGB agent over his own
intelligence agencies. Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo, a Trump appointee, also reiterated that the agency stood behind its initial finding that
Russia interfered.
Trump, who often sidesteps direct questions on Russia’s culpability, said on Sunday that all he meant was that Putin himself clearly believed that to be the case despite a US intelligence assessment to the contrary. At the same, Trump said that initial reports saying 17 agencies concurred in the assessment turned out to be false, and that it was only four agencies.
“As currently led by fine people, I believe very much in our intelligence agencies,” Trump told reporters on Sunday in Hanoi.
He said he didn’t want to “stand and start arguing” the point
with Putin during their meeting, adding that it was “very import-ant” to get along with Russia, China and other countries to address global problems.

‘GET TO WORK’
“What he believes is what he
believes,” Trump said of Putin. “What I believe is that we have
to get to work. And I think everybody understood this that he-
ard the answer. We have to get
to work to solve Syria, to solve North Korea, to solve Ukraine, to solve terrorism.”
The accusations about Russia have triggered a special counsel investigation and several Congressional probes that have stayed in the headlines during Trump’s 11-day swing through Asia.
Trump has previously dismissed the conclusions of multiple US intelligence officials that Russia sought to hurt Democrat Hillary Clinton and ultimately to help him win the presidency, saying “political hacks” led some of those agencies.
“As to whether I believe it or not, I’m with our agencies,” Trump said on Sunday. Despite Trump’s campaign pledge to improve battered relations with Russia, ties between the two Cold War foes have become more tense during his first year in office after the US tightened sanctions in response to the alleged election meddling. Russia responded with US diplomatic expulsions, and the two sides have since struggled to make progress on most issues.
Following their brief talks
in Vietnam, Trump and Putin
issued a joint statement in
which they agreed to support a
political reconciliation in Syria, while maintaining the exist-
ing two-nation communication channels used to fight IS. Putin on Saturday told reporters that it was important for the two leaders to sit down for formal talks on a range of issues. He dismissed the probe into Russian election meddling as nonsense fueled “political infighting” in the US.
“Our relations are still in crisis,” Putin said of the US “Russia is ready to turn the page and move on.” Trump on Sunday shared those sentiments. “I feel that having Russia in a friendly posture, as opposed to always fighting with them, is an asset not a liability,” he told reporters. Earlier, he said on Twitter that only “haters and fools” can’t see the benefits of a good relationship with Russia.

Trump keen to resolve South China Sea row
Bloomberg

US President Donald Trump offered to help resolve territorial disputes in the South China Sea during a meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart in Hanoi. “I am a very good mediator and a very good arbitrator,” Trump said on Sunday ahead of a bilateral meeting with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang. “If I can be of help in any way let me know.”
It was unclear if the offhand remark would potentially signal a more proactive US role in finding a solution to one of Asia’s biggest flashpoints. While the US doesn’t take a position on territorial disputes, it has criticized China for land reclamation in the seas and has called for multilateral talks between claimants.
Asked later about Trump’s offer at a joint press briefing in Hanoi, Quang demurred. “I have shared my thoughts with President Donald Trump on the recent developments in this area,” he said.