Agencies, Hamburg :
Russian president describes presidents’ exchange at G20 summit, saying he offered detailed answers to Trump’s questions
Vladimir Putin has said he thought Donald Trump believed his denials of Russian meddling in the 2016 US election, following the two presidents’ first face-to-face meeting on Friday. Speaking after the G20 summit of leading economies, the Russian leader said his US counterpart had asked him numerous questions about Russia’s alleged interference in the presidential election during a lengthy discussion of the issue.
Putin said he thought his answers had satisfied Trump, but he added that Trump’s opinion would be better sought from the US president himself.”[Trump] asked a lot of questions on this subject,” Putin said. “I, inasmuch as I was able, answered these questions. It seems to me that he took these [answers] on board and agreed with them, but in actual fact, it’s best to ask him how he views this.”
Pressed again later in the news conference by reporters about what precisely Trump had told him, Putin said: “He started to ask pointed questions; he was really interested in particular details. I, as much as I could, answered him in a fairly detailed way. “I believe it would not be entirely appropriate on my part to disclose details of my discussion with Mr Trump. He asked, I answered him. He asked pointed questions, I answered them. It seemed to me that he was satisfied with those answers.”
Earlier, a spokesman for Putin had addressed the conflicting accounts of the discussions between Putin and Trump on what US intelligence agencies are convinced was Russia’s meddling to sway the election in favor of Trump.
The Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, had told reporters after Friday’s meeting that Trump had accepted Putin’s assurances that Moscow didn’t interfere with the election – an account that appeared at odds with that of the US secretary of state, Rex Tillerson. Asked about the conflict on Saturday, Dmitry Peskov joked: “Trust Lavrov. I don’t work for Tillerson.”
Speaking alongside British prime minister Theresa May at the G20, Trump said he and Tillerson had had a “tremendous meeting with” Putin. He did not answer shouted questions about whether Russia had lied about the content of the meeting.
Trump has said he believes that Russia may have hacked the emails of the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton staffers, but that other countries were involved as well.
Putin also spoke warmly of Trump’s personal qualities. The two men have spoken by telephone since Trump won the US presidential election last year, but had not met until the G20 summit in Hamburg, although Trump has been contradictory about whether he had met Putin before becoming president.
“I believe that we have established personal relations already,” Putin told a news conference.
Russian president describes presidents’ exchange at G20 summit, saying he offered detailed answers to Trump’s questions
Vladimir Putin has said he thought Donald Trump believed his denials of Russian meddling in the 2016 US election, following the two presidents’ first face-to-face meeting on Friday. Speaking after the G20 summit of leading economies, the Russian leader said his US counterpart had asked him numerous questions about Russia’s alleged interference in the presidential election during a lengthy discussion of the issue.
Putin said he thought his answers had satisfied Trump, but he added that Trump’s opinion would be better sought from the US president himself.”[Trump] asked a lot of questions on this subject,” Putin said. “I, inasmuch as I was able, answered these questions. It seems to me that he took these [answers] on board and agreed with them, but in actual fact, it’s best to ask him how he views this.”
Pressed again later in the news conference by reporters about what precisely Trump had told him, Putin said: “He started to ask pointed questions; he was really interested in particular details. I, as much as I could, answered him in a fairly detailed way. “I believe it would not be entirely appropriate on my part to disclose details of my discussion with Mr Trump. He asked, I answered him. He asked pointed questions, I answered them. It seemed to me that he was satisfied with those answers.”
Earlier, a spokesman for Putin had addressed the conflicting accounts of the discussions between Putin and Trump on what US intelligence agencies are convinced was Russia’s meddling to sway the election in favor of Trump.
The Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, had told reporters after Friday’s meeting that Trump had accepted Putin’s assurances that Moscow didn’t interfere with the election – an account that appeared at odds with that of the US secretary of state, Rex Tillerson. Asked about the conflict on Saturday, Dmitry Peskov joked: “Trust Lavrov. I don’t work for Tillerson.”
Speaking alongside British prime minister Theresa May at the G20, Trump said he and Tillerson had had a “tremendous meeting with” Putin. He did not answer shouted questions about whether Russia had lied about the content of the meeting.
Trump has said he believes that Russia may have hacked the emails of the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton staffers, but that other countries were involved as well.
Putin also spoke warmly of Trump’s personal qualities. The two men have spoken by telephone since Trump won the US presidential election last year, but had not met until the G20 summit in Hamburg, although Trump has been contradictory about whether he had met Putin before becoming president.
“I believe that we have established personal relations already,” Putin told a news conference.
