Trump wants second meeting with Putin as criticism grows!

• Trump accused the news media of trying to provoke a confrontation with Moscow that could lead to war.

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he wants a second meeting with Russia's Vladimir Putin to start implementing ideas they discussed at the Helsinki summit. Under fire over the first meeting, Trump accused the news media of trying to provoke a confrontation with Moscow that could lead to war.Trump tweeted a list of topics discussed at the summit, including terrorism, security for Israel, Mideast peace, Ukraine, North Korea and more, and wrote: "There are many answers, some easy and some hard, to these problems... but they can ALL be solved!"

"I look forward to our second meeting so that we can start implementing some of the many things discussed," he wrote.

Criticism of Trump's performance at Monday's summit has come from a broad cross-section of Republicans and Democrats. But Trump pointed blame at the media, tweeting: "The Fake News Media wants so badly to see a major confrontation with Russia, even a confrontation that could lead to war. They are pushing so recklessly hard and hate the fact that I'll probably have a good relationship with Putin. We are doing MUCH better than any other country!"

"The Summit with Russia was a great success, except with the real enemy of the people, the Fake News Media," he tweeted.

Both Republican and Democratic members of Congress have criticised Trump for his post-summit statements raising doubts about Russia's meddling in the 2016 US elections, and past and current intelligence community officials also differed with many of his statements.

Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, acknowledged on Thursday that Trump has had a "bad week" on Russia.

"I think it's imperative that he understand that he's misjudging Putin," Graham told reporters. "I don't think he was prepared as well as he should have been."

Graham says Trump is right to criticise previous administrations for their handling of Russia. But he says Trump "is not making the problem better, he's making it worse."
Thursday marked the third day of Trump trying to manage the political fallout from his widely criticised performance at the summit meeting with Putin in Finland.

Trump asserted on Wednesday at the White House that no other American president has been as tough on Russia. He cited US sanctions and the expulsion of alleged Russian spies from the US.