HAMBURG, Germany (WHDH/AP) — President Donald Trump refuses to say if he will raise the issue of Moscow’s meddling in the U.S. presidential election when he goes behind closed doors Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Still, he told a crowd of thousands Thursday in downtown Warsaw that he is urging Russia “to cease its destabilizing activities in Ukraine and elsewhere, and its support for hostile regimes, including Syria and Iran.”
Trump is also calling on Russia “to join the community of responsible nations in our fight against common enemies and in defense of civilization itself.”
Trump then flew to Hamburg, Germany, where more than 100,000 protesters were expected to flood the city to stage massive protests against the Group of 20 summit.
Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is adding her name to the list of high-ranking Democrats who are demanding that President Donald Trump confront Russian leader Vladimir Putin over Moscow’s election meddling.
Pelosi says in a statement Thursday that Trump needs to tell Putin the United States will not tolerate any further interference in U.S. campaigns.
Pelosi’s statement came after Trump spoke in Warsaw, Poland, a day ahead of his first face-to-face meeting with Putin. Trump says Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election, but has repeated his assertion that “other countries” may have done the same.
Top Senate Democrats told Trump in a letter that it would be “severe dereliction” of his presidential duty if he failed to confront Putin over Moscow’s meddling.
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