Trump-Putin meeting: John McCain among many to launch blistering attacks on US president's performance at Helsinki summit press conference

Both Democrats and Republicans lambast Mr Trump as 'weak' as he declines to defend US intelligence reports that Moscow sought to interfere in 2016 vote

Putin says he had to tell Trump several times that he did not interfere in US election

Donald Trump has caused outrage in Washington after backing Russian President Vladimir Putin's denial that Moscow was involved in meddling in the 2016 US presidential election - over his own nation's intelligence reports

Mr Trump, who was seeking to change the relationship between the White House and the Kremlin, said he could think of "no reason" why Russia would be involved. There is consensus among US intelligence agencies that Russia did seek to alter the election, although Mr Putin has repeatedly denied it.

In Washington, the condemnation came thick and fast. Former CIA director John Brennan called Mr Trump's actions "treasonous", while Republican Senator John McCain called it “one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory.”

The Arizona Republican said the summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki was “a tragic mistake.”

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Outside the Helsinki palace where the meeting took place hundreds of protesters gathered in the streets in support of a variety of causes including abortion rights, gay rights and anti-facism. One sign read: "Lets make human rights great again".

The US president's summit with Mr Putin follows contentious visits to Nato in Brussels and to the UK, where he was greeted with widespread demonstrations against his administration.

Mr Putin meanwhile is on a high after Russia's triumphant hosting of the World Cup, although questions linger over the novichok poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal on British soil.

In an interview on Good Morning Britain before heading off to Helsinki, Mr Trump described his Russian counterpart as a "competitor" and said it was too early to say whether they were friends or enemies.

He also claimed that the EU was one of America's biggest enemies because of "what they do to us in trade" and repeated his description of the media as the "enemy of the people".

Mr Trump went on to issue a tweet blaming "US foolishness and stupidity" and what he called the "rigged witch hunt" for bad relations with Russia, to which the Russian Foreign Ministry replied "We agree".

He had been due to meet alone with the Russian president for one-and-a-half hours from around 11am UK time, but Mr Putin arrived at Helsinki airport half an hour later than expected. The joint press conference was due to start at 2.50pm.

The US president has said he was going into the meeting with "low expectations". There is no official agenda for the talks and Democrats have raised fears that Mr Putin will "try to take advantage", such as by reaching an agreement on the annexation of Crimea.

Key Points

• Trump says he has 'low expectations' of Helsinki meeting with Putin
• European leaders hit back after Trump calls EU a foe
• What we can expect from the summit
• A history of tense Cold War summits between the US and Russia

[16 July 2018 18:41 · Kristin Hugo]

Senator Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, has said that Mr Putin gained "a tremendous amount" from the meeting and that Mr Trump made the US look like a pushover.

[16 July 2018 19:15 · Kristin Hugo]

And the condemnation keeps coming for Mr Trump. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee said Mr Trump's actions during the press conference with Mr Putin, particularly the refusal to back US intelligence findings on Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, were "a breach of his duty" to defend America.

Earlier, Mr Warner tweeted:

[16 July 2018 19:26 · Kristin Hugo]

House speaker - and Republican - Paul Ryan, said in a statement that the US must be “focused on holding Russia accountable.”

Here it is in full:

There is no question that Russia interfered in our election and continues attempts to undermine democracy here and around the world. That is not just the finding of the American intelligence community but also the House Committee on Intelligence. The president must appreciate that Russia is not our ally. There is no moral equivalence between the United States and Russia, which remains hostile to our most basic values and ideals. The United States must be focused on holding Russia accountable and putting an end to its vile attacks on democracy.

[16 July 2018 19:37 · Lucy Anna Gray]

Here's US Editor Andrew Buncombe with his take on today's Helsinki summit.

"Russia did not win the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

"Going into the tournament, it was the lowest ranked of the 32 nations represented. As it was, after a series of encounters in which the team displayed discipline and flair under head coach Stanislav Cherchesov that surprised many, they made it to the quarter-finals, only to lose to Croatia after extra time and penalties. 

"But if Vladimir Putin already had plenty to smile about given his team’s better-than-expected performance, and Russia’s organisastion of a tournament which was widely praised, in Helsinki on Monday he received a prize he may have treasured even more than if his team had won the 18 carat gold World Cup Trophy..."

You can read the full piece here: 

[16 July 2018 19:59 · Lucy Anna Gray]

Senator John McCain has also spoken out to criticise the meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. The Arizona Republican called President Trump's press conference "one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory".

Mr McCain labelled the summit with Mr Putin "a tragic mistake". Mr McCain said Donald Trump proved not only unable, "but unwilling to stand up to Putin". He added the two leaderes "seemed to be speaking from the same script" as President Trump made a "conscious choice to defend a tyrant".

Senator McCain, who has been away from the Senate as he battles brain cancer, said the damage inflicted by President Trump's "naivete, egotism, false equivalence, and sympathy for autocrats is difficult to calculate".

[16 July 2018 20:11 · Kristin Hugo]

Mr McCain's daughter, Meghan, has also tweeted her displeasure at Mr Trump's actions.

[16 July 2018 20:16 · Lucy Anna Gray]

Even by his standards, for Donald Trump to get up at a joint press conference and denounce his own intelligence agencies was quite something. You can read more about what Mr Trump said and what this means for Russia: 

[16 July 2018 20:36 · Kristin Hugo]

Donald Trump, after meeting with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, said 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 presidential election.

The U.S. intelligence community has been clear about the threat posed by Russian political interference. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said they will continue "to provide unvarnished and objective intelligence" assessments.

"We have been clear in our assessments of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and their ongoing, pervasive efforts to undermine our democracy," Mr Coats said.

[16 July 2018 20:36 · Lucy Anna Gray]

Donald Trump, after meeting with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, said 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 presidential election.

The U.S. intelligence community has been clear about the threat posed by Russian political interference. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said they will continue "to provide unvarnished and objective intelligence" assessments.

"We have been clear in our assessments of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and their ongoing, pervasive efforts to undermine our democracy," Dan Coats said.

[16 July 2018 20:54 · Lucy Anna Gray]

On the day President Trump met with Vladimir Putin, a Russian woman by the name of Maria Butina is the latest to receive an indictment in the ongoing federal investigation into Russia's impact on the 2016 election led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Ms Butina is accused of "infiltrating organisations having influence in American politics, for the purpose of advancing the interests of the Russian Federation," according to a press release published on Monday.