Trump says he’ll raise election meddling at Putin meeting

BRUSSELS — President Donald Trump pledged Thursday that he will “of course” raise the issue of Moscow’s interference in the 2016 election at his Monday summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but he said he has little recourse if — as expected — Putin denies that Russia interfered.

“Look, he may. What am I going to do? He may deny it,” Trump said at a news conference on the second day of a NATO summit. “All I can do is say, ‘Did you?’ And, ‘Don’t do it again.’ But he may deny it.”

Trump continued to strike a friendly tone toward the Russian leader, calling him a “competitor” rather than a U.S. enemy — while declining to label him as a security threat to the United States or European nations.

“Somebody was saying, is he an enemy? He’s not my enemy. Is he your friend? No, I don’t know him very much,” Trump told reporters Thursday. “Hopefully, someday, he’ll be a friend. It could happen.”

Throughout his presidency, Trump has avoided admonishing Putin, even though U.S. intelligence officials concluded that Moscow interfered in the 2016 election to sow discord and help Trump win in 2016.

Trump resents that many of his advisers have told him not to meet with Putin, two White House officials said. He continues to tell senior aides that he can have a good relationship with Putin and that Russia’s involvement is needed to address Syria, China and other world problems. National security adviser John Bolton, who has taken a leading role on Russia policy, has a more jaundiced view of Putin, according to these officials.