refused to say he trusts the US intelligence community, bashed the FBI and the Democratic National Committee, and indicated that he believed Putin over American intelligence agencies.

After the Associated Press White House reporter Jonathan Lemire asked Trump during a joint press conference with Putin who he believed and whether he would publicly denounce Russia's interference in the 2016 US election and warn Putin never to do it again, Trump declined to do so and appeared to pin the blame on the US.

"We have two thoughts," Trump said. "You have groups that are wondering why the FBI never took the [DNC] server. Why haven't they taken the server? Why was the FBI told to leave the office of the Democratic National Committee? I've been wondering that."

He added: "With thatto Hillary Clinton's emails?" Trump said. "Thirty-three thousand emails gone, just gone. I think in Russia they wouldn't be gone so easily."

Trump said that while he had "great confidence" in the US intelligence community, Putin "was extremely strong and powerful in his denial" of Russia's election meddling.

Putin, meanwhile, said the "final conclusion" on the issue of Russian meddling would be made by the US courts and not "by the law enforcement" or any member of the executive branch.

Putin also pushed another frequent talking point, saying that some of the Russians who have been indicted in the Russia investigation, led by the special counsel Robert Mueller, were not part of the Russian state.

The US intelligence community has long believed that the Kremlin often uses proxies and outside groups to