President Donald Trump refused to condemn Russian state interference in the 2016 US election identified by US intelligence services saying that Russian leader Vladimir Putin was “extremely strong and powerful in his denial today”.

Speaking after his first summit with his Russian counterpart in Helsinki, Mr Trump said the US and Russia shared the blame for the breakdown in relations between the two superpowers. He called the investigation being conducted by special counsel Robert Mueller into allegations of collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign a “disaster for our country”.

Mr Trump said their meeting in the Finnish capital had been a “very constructive few hours” that would help reset badly strained ties between Washington and Moscow.