Trump Questions Putin on Election Meddling in Eagerly Awaited Encounter
Trump administration officials had said that Mr. Trump
and Mr. Putin would discuss the idea of partnering to establish "safe zones" in Syria as part of his efforts to usher in a new era of cooperation with Moscow.
" he said, "but phone conversations are never enough, definitely." He added: "I hope that, as you have said, our meetings will yield positive results." The two
also discussed the matter of Ukraine as Mr. Trump pushes forward on a new effort to get Russia to cease its interference there. that We spoke over the phone,
But in a sign of the challenges and tension still standing in the way of turning over a new leaf in the United States-Russia relationship, the Kremlin quickly provided an alternative account, asserting
that Mr. Trump had accepted Mr. Putin’s denial of the election cyber interference and even said that some in the United States were "exaggerating" Moscow’s interference without proof.
In a more-than-two-hour meeting that was so all-consuming
that even Mr. Trump’s wife Melania failed to pry the two leaders apart halfway through, Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin established "positive chemistry" and spoke about a range of issues, said Rex W. Tillerson, the secretary of state.