Trump stresses Israel’s security in talks with Putin in Helsinki
Shock as US president backs Russia on election meddling denial
Russia and the United States are working together to ensure Israel’s security with regards to the advancement of the Syrian regime against rebels near the Golan Heights, US President Donald Trump said to reporters after a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.
Trump “paid particular attention” to Israel’s security during the summit, the Russian leader said.
Russian cooperation with Israel is a “great thing,” Trump said.
“As far as Syria is concerned, the task of establishing peace and reconciliation in this country could be the first showcase example of successful joint work,” Putin said.
He also said that Washington knows the Kremlin’s position on the Iran nuclear deal, from which Trump withdrew last year.
“We can do something to help people of Syria head in some form of shelter... both of us would be very interested in doing that,” Trump said. “We also discussed at length the crisis in Syria. Cooperation between our countries has the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives.”
Putin said he agrees with Trump that the armies of their two countries are working successfully in Syria.
“As far as Syria is concerned the task of establishing peace and reconciliation in this country could be the first showcase example of successful joint work,” Putin said.
Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu “welcomed the deep commitment” of the US, his office said in a statement released after the summit. Netanyahu “greatly appreciates the security coordination between Israel and Russia and expressed the clear position to President Putin on the need to maintain the separation agreements between Israel and Syria in 1974,” the statement also read.
Trump also said that he saw no reason to believe his own intelligence agencies rather than trust the Kremlin leader on the question of whether Russia interfered to help him win the 2016 election.
On a day when he faced pressure from critics, allied countries and even his own staff to take a tough stance, Trump said not a single critical word about Moscow on any of the issues that have brought relations between the two powers to the lowest ebb since the Cold War.
Instead, he denounced the “stupidity” of his own country’s policy, especially the decision to investigate election interference.
Trump’s performance is likely to create a political storm in the United States, where the White House has struggled for months to dispel a suggestion that Trump was unwilling to stand up to Putin.
Republican Senator John McCain called the meeting “a tragic mistake” and a new low point for the United States, accusing the American leader of failing to defend his country.
“Not only did President Trump fail to speak the truth about an adversary, but speaking for America to the world, our president failed to defend all that makes us who we are – a republic of free people dedicated to the cause of liberty at home and abroad,” McCain wrote. Other Republicans were more cautious.
“It is clear that the summit in Helsinki was a tragic mistake,” he added in a statement.
Trump held his meeting with Putin just days after a special US prosecutor indicted 12 Russian agents for stealing Democratic Party documents to help him win the vote.
Asked if he believed US intelligence agencies, which concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help him defeat Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, he said he was not convinced.
“I don’t see any reason why it would be” Russia, Trump said. “President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today.”
Before the summit even began, Trump blamed his own country for the deterioration in relations.
“Our relationship with Russia has NEVER been worse, thanks to many years of U.S. foolishness and stupidity – and now, the Rigged Witch Hunt!” he said on Twitter. The Russian foreign ministry tweeted back: “We agree.”
At the news conference, Trump was invited by reporters to offer any criticism of Russia but he repeatedly declined. Asked if Russia was at all to blame for the poor ties, he said: “I hold both countries responsible. I think the US has been foolish. We’ve all been foolish,” he said, before veering into discussion about his election victory.
“I beat Hillary Clinton easily and frankly we beat her… We won that race and it’s a shame that there can be even a little bit of a cloud over it,” he said.
Trump’s warm words for Russia were a marked contrast from the past week when he repeatedly rebuked traditional US allies at a summit of NATO and during a visit to Britain.
Asked if Putin was an adversary, he said: “Actually I called him a competitor – and a good competitor he is. And I think the word competitor is a compliment.”
Putin spoke of the importance of the two countries working together and praised Trump, at one point interrupting the news conference to give the US president a soccer ball.
Asked whether he had wanted Trump to win the 2016 election and had instructed officials to help him, Putin said “Yes I did,” although he denied any interference, saying the allegations were “complete nonsense.”
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said Trump’s performance would send a message of “weakness” to Moscow.
“Missed opportunity by President Trump to firmly hold Russia accountable for 2016 meddling and deliver a strong warning regarding future elections. This answer by President Trump will be seen by Russia as a sign of weakness and create far more problems than it solves,” Graham said on Twitter.
Republican Senator Jeff Flake from Arizona, a frequent Trump critic, said: “I never thought I would see the day when our American president would stand on the stage with the Russian president and place blame on the United States for Russian aggression. This is shameful.”
Former CIA chief John Brennan went even further, suggesting that Trump should be removed from office: “Donald Trump’s press conference performance in Helsinki rises to & exceeds the threshold of ‘high crimes & misdemeanors.’ It was nothing short of treasonous. Not only were Trump’s comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. Republican Patriots: Where are you???”
The summit caps a trip abroad during which Trump accused NATO allies of failing to spend enough on their militaries. He also embarrassed British Prime Minister Theresa May by saying she refused to take his advice about how to negotiate Britain’s exit from the EU. He referred to the European Union itself as a “foe” in trade and repeatedly criticized it.
In some of the strongest words yet reflecting the unease of Washington’s traditional allies, Germany’s foreign minister said on Monday that Europe could no longer rely on the United States.
“To maintain our partnership with the USA we must readjust it,” Heiko Maas told the Funke newspaper group. “The first clear consequence can only be that we need to align ourselves even more closely in Europe.” •