Right-wing extremists had ‘death list’ of rivals
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump has jokingly told Russian President Vladimir Putin not to “meddle” in the 2020 US presidential election.
The two presidents came face to face for the first time since Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation found evidence of Russian interference in the 2016 election.
The two traded brief remarks about issues they planned to discuss when a reporter asked: “Mr President, will you tell Russia not to meddle in the 2020 election?”
“Yes, of course I will,” Mr Trump replied gravely.
Then he turned to Mr Putin and said: “Don’t meddle in the election, please.” He pointed his finger at Mr Putin, smiled, and repeated: “Don’t meddle in the election,” as Mr Putin appeared amused.
The two leaders met during the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan.
Mr Trump had said in advance of his meeting with Mr Putin that he expected a “very good conversation” with the Russian leader, but told reporters that “what I say to him is none of your business”.
The Mueller investigation uncovered extensive evidence of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election that propelled Mr Trump to the
White House.
It also found evidence of obstruction of justice and of collusion, but it did not establish a criminal conspiracy between Trump associates and the Kremlin to sway the outcome of the election.
Mr Trump has frequently dismissed the report’s findings by saying it found “no collusion”.
Ahead of the summit, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer had pressed the president to directly challenge the Russian leader on election interference and send a signal “not merely to Putin but to all of our adversaries that interfering with our election is unacceptable, and that they will pay a price – a strong price – for trying”.
Declining
Mr Putin has denied Russia meddled in the American election to help Mr Trump win.
The meeting marked the first time Mr Trump and Mr Putin sat together publicly since their summit in Helsinki nearly a year ago.
At the news conference that followed the summit, Mr Trump responded to a reporter’s question by declining to denounce Russia’s election interference or side with his own intelligence agencies over Mr Putin.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Theresa May had a frosty exchange with the Russian president. There was a tense meeting between the two leaders dominated by exchanges about the Salisbury nerve agent attack.
Mrs May was stony faced as she shook hands with the Russian president before talks in Osaka in which she told him the use of the Novichok nerve agent in the Wiltshire city was a “truly despicable act”.
She said the UK had “irrefutable” evidence that Russia was behind the attack on former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in March 2018.
Both survived the poisoning
Mr Putin looked amused after Trump pointed a finger and smiled
in Salisbury, but in July 2018 Dawn Sturgess died after coming into contact with Novichok which is believed to have been in a perfume bottle.
“She told the president that there cannot be a normalisation of our bilateral relationship until Russia stops the irresponsible and destabilising activity that threatens the UK and its allies – including hostile interventions in other countries, disinformation and cyber attacks – which undermine Russia’s standing in the world,” a Downing Street spokesman said.
“The prime minister said that the use of a deadly nerve agent on the streets of Salisbury formed part of a wider pattern of unacceptable behaviour and was a truly despicable act that led to the death of a UK citizen, Dawn Sturgess.”
Suspects
The UK authorities have named two Russians from the GRU military intelligence agency – known by the aliases Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov – as suspects.
Online investigation group Bellingcat said Boshirov is actually the highly decorated Colonel Anatoliy Chepiga, and Petrov is a military doctor called Alexander Mishkin.
Downing Street said Mrs May was “clear that the UK has irrefutable evidence that Russia was behind the attack – based on painstaking investigations and co-operation with our allies.
“She said that this behaviour could never be repeated and that the UK wants to see the two individuals responsible brought to justice,” the spokesman said.
The Russian president has dismissed the Salisbury incident as “fuss about spies and counter-spies” that was “not worth serious interstate relations” and said “traitors must be punished”.