Donald Trump will postpone a second meeting with Russia's President Vladimir Putin until next year, after the federal probe into Russian election meddling is over.
US President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin at a joint press conference after their meeting in Helsinki on 16 July. Photo: AFP
The White House had invited Mr Putin to visit the US in the autumn.
"The president believes that the next bilateral meeting with President Putin should take place after the Russia witch hunt is over, so we've agreed that it will be after the first of the year," National Security Adviser John Bolton said in a statement
Mr Trump weathered fierce criticism after his summit last week with Mr Putin in Helsinki after he appeared to give credence to the Russian leader's assertion that Moscow did not interfere in the 2016 US presidential election.
US intelligence agencies have concluded that Moscow interfered to sway the vote toward Mr Trump, and a special counsel is investigating whether Mr Trump's campaign worked with the Russians.
Mr Trump rejected the criticism and [ https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/world/362058/trump-putin-summit-us-president-reverses-remarks-on-russian-meddling said he misspoke', then issued an invitation to Putin to visit Washington in the autumn.
The US president has repeatedly called the probe into meddling in the 2016 election a "witch hunt," a claim that he repeated in a tweet the same day that he met with Mr Putin in Helsinki.
US won't recognise Russia's Crimea claim
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US would never recognise Russia's annexation of Crimea, and would continue to insist that Ukraine's territorial integrity be restored.
In a statement released by the State Department, Mr Pompeo said the US would hold to its long-standing principle of refusing to recognise Kremlin claims of sovereignty over territory seized by force, in violation of international law.
He called for Russia to respect principles and "end its occupation of Crimea".
The statement was released shortly before Mr Pompeo was due to testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he is expected to face tough questioning about President Donald Trump's summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Mr Trump has previously suggested that US opposition to Russia's annexation of Crimea could be reconsidered.
Russia has defended its 2014 annexation saying it was approved by Crimean voters in a referendum.
The US and its European allies have all said the referendum was illegal as it was held without the consent of the government in Kiev and was conducted in a highly flawed manner.
- Reuters