U.S. dismisses Putin idea for Ukrainian referendum

WASHINGTON — The White House rejected on Friday a Vladimir Putin-backed effort to hold a referendum in eastern Ukraine on the region’s future, distancing itself from the idea in the aftermath of President Donald Trump’s summit with the Russian leader.

Russia’s ambassador to the U.S., Anatoly Antonov, said the two leaders had discussed the possibility of a referendum in separatist-leaning eastern Ukraine during their Helsinki summit.

But Trump’s National Security Council spokesman Garrett Marquis said agreements between Russia and the Ukrainian government for resolving the conflict in the Donbas region do not include any such option, and any effort to organize a “so-called referendum” would have “no legitimacy.”

The back-and-forth came as the White House outlined the agenda for a proposed second summit between Trump and Putin — in Washington this fall — that would focus on national security. Moscow signaled its openness to a second formal meeting between the two leaders.

Trump left the White House for his New Jersey golf club for the weekend. Once he got there, he returned to Twitter to complain about news coverage of Monday’s meeting.

“I got severely criticized by the Fake News Media for being too nice to President Putin,” he tweeted.

“In the Old Days they would call it Diplomacy. If I was loud & vicious, I would have been criticized for being too tough.”

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi urged House Speaker

Paul Ryan to make clear that Putin wouldn’t be invited to address Congress if he visits Washington.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had a sunnier view of the likely second get-together.

He said at the United Nations he was “happy that the two leaders of two very important countries are continuing to meet. If that meeting takes place in Washington, I think it is all to the good. Those conversations are incredibly important.”