Standing side-by-side with Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump has refused to blame the Russian leader for meddling in the 2016 elections, casting doubt on the findings of his own intelligence agencies and sparking a storm of criticism at home.
On a day when he faced pressure from critics, allied countries and even his own staff to take a tough line, 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 following the findings of US intelligence agencies. A prosecutor announced an indictment three days ago of Russian spies for hacking into Democratic Party networks.
The Russian foreign ministry tweeted back: "We agree."
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".
Former FBI Director James Comey was scathing on Twitter, saying that Trump stood with a "murderous lying thug" and "refused to back his own country".
Vladimir Putin gives Donald Trump a soccer ball during the joint press conference. Source: Getty
While former CIA chief John Brennan suggested 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???"
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich tweeted that this was the "most serious mistake of his presidency".
