Putin backlash hits Trump after Helsinki summit

PM breaks ranks with Donald Trump as concern mounts in the defence establishment at his “erratic” foreign policy.

US President Donald Trump waves as he walks with first lady Melania Trump on the South Lawn of the White House. Picture: Reuters

Malcolm Turnbull has broken ranks with Donald Trump over his appeasement of Russian strongman Vladimir Putin, as Australian intelligence officials privately warn that the US President’s ­“erratic” foreign policy pronouncements are raising serious concerns in the defence establishment.

As the US President faced a hail of criticism in Washington, former prime minister Tony Abbott also expressed concerns Mr Putin was not met with more force at the Helsinki summit on Monday.

“When the leader of the free world meets with someone who has done so much to damage other countries and has done so much at odds with human decency … it shouldn’t be all smiles,” Mr Abbott told The Australian.

Mr Trump came under attack after appearing to back the former KGB officer’s denial that Russia was responsible for the hacking of the 2016 US election, essentially dismissing the advice of US intelligence agencies.

Key figures in Mr Trump’s own Republican Party accused him of abasing himself before an autocrat, while former CIA director John Brennan went as far as calling Mr Trump’s support for Mr Putin “treasonous”.

Republican elder statesman John McCain, who has been savagely criticised by Mr Trump in the past, described his supportive comments of Mr Putin early yesterday as “one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory”.

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin shake hands in Helsinki. Picture: Getty Images

Trump supporter and former GOP speaker Newt Gingrich ­described Mr Trump’s attack on the credibility of US intelligence as “the most serious mistake of his presidency”.

When Mr Trump was asked in the press conference with Mr Putin if he believed the Russian President’s denial of interfering in the US election, he said: “President Putin says it’s not Russia. I don’t see any reason why it would be.”

The comments sent shockwaves through the US political ­establishment, forcing Mr Trump’s hand-picked Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats to issue a statement in support of the intelligence agencies and disputing the US President, claiming there was clear evidence of Russian meddling.

Last night Donald Trump took to social media to defend himself, tweeting that he had raised billions of dollars from NATO nations for defence and had great success with Putin.

I had a great meeting with NATO. They have paid $33 Billion more and will pay hundreds of Billions of Dollars more in the future, only because of me. NATO was weak, but now it is strong again (bad for Russia). The media only says I was rude to leaders, never mentions the money!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 17, 2018

In a follow up tweet soon after, Mr Trump said: “While I had a great meeting with NATO, raising vast amounts of money, I had an even better meeting with Vladimir Putin of Russia. Sadly, it is not being reported that way - the Fake News is going Crazy!”

While I had a great meeting with NATO, raising vast amounts of money, I had an even better meeting with Vladimir Putin of Russia. Sadly, it is not being reported that way - the Fake News is going Crazy!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 17, 2018

But this morning, in a remarkable backflip, Mr Trump said he misspoke in Finland and that he believes US intelligence agencies when they said that Russia was guilty of interference in the US election. He said he now accepts the long-held view of US intelligence agencies which have found that Russia was guilty of the hacking and linking of emails during the 2016 campaign.

Mr Turnbull would not be lured into criticising Mr Trump but pointedly said that Mr Putin could not be trusted. “Donald Trump is a patriot, he is an American patriot,” the Prime Minister said.

“His job is representing his country and he is doing that to the best of his ability, just like I represent our country, Australia, to the best of my ability.

“Vladimir Putin said at one point in his press conference, ‘don’t trust anyone’. That’s probably good advice. I certainly don’t trust Vladimir Putin when he says he or the Russian army had nothing to do with the downing of MH17.”

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said: “Russia has questions to answer in relation to a number of breaches of international norms.”

Mr Abbott also claimed the Russian leader was responsible for atrocities for which he was yet to be held to account, including the shooting down of commercial airliner MH17 in 2014, killing 38 ­Australians.

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A senior Australian intelligence official told The Australian that while the Australia-US ­alliance was stronger than any two leaders, Mr Trump’s recent behaviour could have implications for the longer-term relationship.

The source said Mr Trump’s behaviour in recent weeks had begun to trouble officials on both sides, starting with his trade tirade at the G7 summit, his attacks on NATO over defence spending and his interfering in the domestic politics of his closest ally after he criticised Britain’s Prime Minister, Theresa May.

“There is a view that he has been on a completely frantic ­destructive foreign-policy binge,” the source said. The longer-term problem with Mr Trump’s attitude to alliances, the source added, was that it weakened domestic support for the alliance.

“The alliance is very deep (with) strong intelligence and defence links. It’s robust,” the source said. “Trump’s ability to implement a scorched-earth policy toward allies is kept in check by congress and the US constitution, plus the military and defence ties.”

Mr Trump’s apparent appeasement of Mr Putin and his attack on US ­intelligence agencies led to the most stinging rebuke of his presidency from Republicans. He later tried to paint over the controversy, claiming the meeting was about more important things and that the world’s two nuclear superpowers needed to have a relationship.

But Republican house speaker Paul Ryan said: “The President must appreciate that Russia is not our ally. There is no moral equivalence between the US and Russia, which remains hostile to our most basic values and ideals.”

Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell also disputed Mr Trump’s attack on US intelligence.

“The Russians are not our friends and I entirely agree with the assessment of our intelligence community,” he said.

Republican senator Jeff Flake called Mr Trump’s comments “shameful” while fellow Republican senator Lindsey Graham said the President’s comments would “be seen by Russia as a sign of weakness and create far more problems than it solves”.

Democrats also attacked Mr Trump, with Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer saying: “In the entire history of our country, Americans have never seen a president of the US support an adversary the way President Trump has supported President Putin.”

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten also labelled Mr Putin as a man who could not be trusted but would not comment on Mr Trump’s actions.

Labor foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong said Russia’s actions “should continue to be condemned”, while the bilateral relationship was a matter for the White House.

Mr Putin had “serious questions to answer” over MH17 and Australia had “great respect for US intelligence agencies”, Senator Wong said.

Former Defence official Peter Jennings, the executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in Canberra, said there were very strong foundations of support for the Australia-US alliance but these could be challenged under Mr Trump’s presidency.

“I think we are in a difficult period as far as the alliance is concerned … at least for as long as Trump is president,” Mr Jennings told The Australian.

“You can’t help be worried with an individual as erratic as Trump in power. It is up to policymakers to shore the alliance up.”

Mr Jennings said Mr Trump’s challenge to the world order had implications for the broader western alliance, which was last tested to this extent during the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

He said Australia was lucky it had not found itself more directly in Mr Trump’s sights, like Canada and Germany.

“If he unleashed on Australia it would cause a gross affront … particularly to the record of Australian military service,” Mr Jennings said.

“The Putin summit is unique …. the US President doesn’t say a good word about the US’s ­traditional allies and can’t find a bad word to say about Putin.”

Mr Abbott said that no one should be able “to kill Australians with impunity” and as far as Australia was concerned, Mr Putin was responsible for the Russian missile battery that shot down MH17 over Ukraine.

“It disappoints me to this day there has been insufficient consequences,” Mr Abbott said.

“This is a leader who has also waged aggressive war against his neighbours, made a bad situation in Syria worse, launched a chemical weapon attack in the UK and all without repercussion.”