Trump on Russia election meddling: Putin 'did not do what they are saying he did'
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World leaders posed for a photo while attending the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Da Nang. President Trump and Vladimir Putin can be seen posing side by side.
USA TODAY
DA NẴNG, Vietnam — After brief meetings on the sidelines of an economic summit in Asia, President Trump said Saturday he and Vladimir Putin agreed to renew efforts to defeat the Islamic State in Syria — and that the Russian president vehemently denies interfering in the 2016 presidential election.Â
“He said he didn’t meddle,†Trump told reporters while en route to Hanoi for meetings with Vietnam leaders.
Trump said he asked Putin again about the allegations, “you can only ask him so many times … He said he absolutely did not meddle in our election. He did not do what they are saying he did.â€
“Every time he sees me he says I didn’t do that and I really believe that when he tells me that, he means it, Trump said. “But he says I didn’t do that. I think he is very insulted by it, which is not a good thing for our country.”Â
Special counsel Robert Mueller and congressional committees are investigating Russian efforts to influence the election on Trump’s behalf. The probes include possible collusion with Trump associates, something the president vehemently denies.Â
Trump said he and Putin had “two or three short conversations†on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Da Nẵng, Vietnam. He said they mostly discussed Syria, and agreed to a statement on the subject.
In a statement released hours before the White House said anything about the Putin chats, the Kremlin said “the presidents confirmed their determination to defeat ISIS (the Islamic State) in Syria.â€
In seeking a political and diplomatic way forward, the Kremlin said Trump and Putin “agreed that there is no military solution to the conflict in Syria.â€
Russia has been the major ally for Bashar Assad’s government in Syria. The United States has backed rebel groups and led a coalition carrying out airstrikes against ISIS positions in Syria.
Trump and Putin did not have a formal bilateral meeting, as they did during the G-20 summit in Germany in July; these were informal talks in and around APEC meetings.
Speaking with reporters later aboard Air Force One, Trump said the Syria statement is “going to save tremendous numbers of lives, and we did it very quickly, we agreed very quickly.â€
Asked if he pressed Putin about the election accusations, Trump said, “well, look, I can’t stand there and argue with him. I would rather have him get out of Syria.â€
Trump said he also asked Putin to do something about unrest in Ukraine and to put pressure on North Korea to end its nuclear weapons program. “He could really help us on North Korea,†Trump said.
In an extended conversation with reporters, Trump  touted the success of his week-long Asia trip that took him to Japan, South Korea and China before the APEC summit in Vietnam.Â
The president claimed that Japan and South Korea “are now getting along much better,†and “that was great.â€
Trump also said he made progress with Chinese President Xi Jinping on trade and North Korea.
‘China likes me,†Trump said.
More: Trump tells APEC summit: ‘I am always going to put America first’
Related: Analysis: War with China? Trump, U.S. seek to avoid collision course
Earlier in the week, Trump said he wanted to speak with Putin about pulling economic support from North Korea, part of what the president envisions as an international effort to pressure Kim Jong Un’s government into giving up nuclear weapons.
Private “pull-asides” at summit meetings have drawn criticisms of Barack Obama and previous presidents who have engaged in them. There is no formal record of what was said, and aides often give different interpretations of the brief conversations.
The American and Russian presidents bumped into each other at a time when a U.S. special counsel and Congress are investigating Russian interference in last year’s presidential election, including contacts with Trump campaign associates.
After Da Nang, Trump prepared to head north to Hanoi to meet with Vietnamese leaders on Saturday night and Sunday morning.
Trump completes his Asia trip early next week after more meetings with Asia-Pacific leaders at conferences in the Philippines.
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President Donald Trump, right, and first lady Melania Trump, left, pose for a photo as they tour the Forbidden City, Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2017, in Beijing, China. Trump is on a five country trip through Asia traveling to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) ORG XMIT: TKSK323Â
President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with families of Japanese abducted by North Korea in Tokyo Nov. 6, 2017. They are, from left in front row, Hitomi Soga, Shigeo Iizuka, Abe’s wife Akie, Abe, Trump, U.S. first lady Melania, Sakie Yokota and Akihiro Arimura. Â
First lady Melania Trump, and her Japanese counterpart Akie Abe, third from right, listen to sales manager Hajime Fukuju, left, during their visit Nov. 5, 2017, to Mikimoto Ginza Main Store, Japan’s pearl jewelry maker, at the Ginza shopping district in Tokyo.Â
President Trump, center, salutes, with first lady Melania Trump, top right, uoon arrival at the U.S. Yokota Air Base. On his first to Asia, Trump will visit Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and Philippines for summits of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).Â
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