U.S. President Donald Trump (2nd L) and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin (2nd R) meet in Helsinki, Finland, on July 16, 2018. Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin started their first bilateral meeting here on Monday. (Xinhua/Office of the President of the Republic of Finland/Juhani Kandell)
HELSINKI, July 16 (Xinhua) -- The Russian state has never interfered and is not going to interfere in American internal affairs, said Russian President Vladimir Putin here on Monday.
Putin made the remarks at a press conference after meeting his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump, who was also present to answer reporters' questions.
Putin also denied the accusation that Donald Trump colluded with Russia in the presidential campaign in 2016.
"Could you name a single fact that would definitively prove the collusion? This is nonsense." Putin said, "There's no evidence when it comes to the actual facts, we have to be guided by facts not by rumors."
Trump said he directly addressed alleged meddling by Russia with Putin, feeling the message was "best delivered in person" and they"spent a great deal of time" talking about the subject.
Trump repeated Putin's denials about involvement in the election, saying "I will say this: I don't see any reason why it would be."
