Russia&#39;s&nbsp;President Vladimir Putin is set to meet his US counterpart Donald Trump for the first time in the sidelines of the G20 summit early next month.

The White House said Trump&#39;s main goal would be to end all differences between Russia and the West and &quot;develop a common approach&quot;.

Trump&#39;s National Security Advisor HR McMaster, however, was non-committal as to whether Trump would bring up the matter of Russia&#39;s alleged involvement in last year&#39;s US election.

&quot;It&#39;s whatever the president wants to talk about,&quot; McMaster said.&nbsp;

The G20 summit will be held in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7 and 8.

The duo&#39;s first meeting comes after the west initially were alarmed about the relationship between the two leaders, especially after a cascade of reports suggested that Russia had meddled in the US election to help Trump win.

Trump has long played down reports of Russian meddling, but he seized on recent reports about former president Barack Obama&#39;s cautious reaction to election interference last year to attack Obama for a timorous response.&nbsp;

The two superpowers also face an array of contentious foreign-policy issues, reaching from Syria to Ukraine to North Korea.&nbsp;

Trump has struck a tough tone on Russia&#39;s ally Syria, ordering a missile attack on a military base there in April after it reportedly was used to launch a chemical attack; and warning this week that the government of Bashar al-Assad would &quot;pay a heavy price&quot; if it carried out a new chemical attack.&nbsp;

Washington and Moscow engaged in a further verbal escalation after U.S. fighter jets shot down a Syrian government jet.&nbsp;

Trump&#39;s early warmth toward Putin -- and his blunt criticism of America&#39;s NATO allies for not spending enough on defense -- have rattled many in Europe, and particularly in places like Ukraine and the tiny Baltic countries.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko met with Trump at the White House on Tuesday in what he himself said was an attempt to &quot;arm&quot; the US president with information ahead of his meeting with Putin.&nbsp;

Russian troops seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, and Russia has supported separatist militias in a bloody fight along Ukraine&#39;s eastern border.

Trump and Putin agreed during a phone call in May to work together to defuse tensions with North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs.&nbsp;

It was during that call that the leaders agreed to seek a face-to-face meeting in Hamburg.

(With inputs from AFP)

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But the two leaders aren't expected to talk about the Russia's probable meddling in last year's US election

Russia's President Vladimir Putin is set to meet his US counterpart Donald Trump for the first time in the sidelines of the G20 summit early next month. The White House said Trump's main goal would be to end all differences between Russia and the West and "develop a common approach". Trump's National Security Advisor HR McMaster, however, was non-committal as to whether Trump would bring up the matter of Russia's alleged involvement in last year's US election. "It's whatever the president wants to talk about," McMaster said. The G20 summit will be held in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7 and 8. The duo's first meeting comes after the west initially were alarmed about the relationship between the two leaders, especially after a cascade of reports suggested that Russia had meddled in the US election to help Trump win. Trump has long played down reports of Russian meddling, but he seized on recent reports about former president Barack Obama's cautious reaction to election interference last year to attack Obama for a timorous response. The two superpowers also face an array of contentious foreign-policy issues, reaching from Syria to Ukraine to North Korea. Trump has struck a tough tone on Russia's ally Syria, ordering a missile attack on a military base there in April after it reportedly was used to launch a chemical attack; and warning this week that the government of Bashar al-Assad would "pay a heavy price" if it carried out a new chemical attack. Washington and Moscow engaged in a further verbal escalation after U.S. fighter jets shot down a Syrian government jet. Trump's early warmth toward Putin -- and his blunt criticism of America's NATO allies for not spending enough on defense -- have rattled many in Europe, and particularly in places like Ukraine and the tiny Baltic countries. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko met with Trump at the White House on Tuesday in what he himself said was an attempt to "arm" the US president with information ahead of his meeting with Putin. Russian troops seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, and Russia has supported separatist militias in a bloody fight along Ukraine's eastern border. Trump and Putin agreed during a phone call in May to work together to defuse tensions with North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs. It was during that call that the leaders agreed to seek a face-to-face meeting in Hamburg. (With inputs from AFP)

Trump to meet Putin in G20 summit amid Russia's influence on US election saga

President Donald Trump does consider Russia a problem, his ambassador to the United Nations and rising US administration star Nikki Haley insisted before an often-hostile New York audience Wednesday.

&quot;I have hit Russia over the head more times than I can count and it&#39;s because if they do something wrong we&#39;re going to call them out on it,&quot; she told the annual Women in the World Summit.

&quot;The things they&#39;ve done with Crimea and Ukraine... and how they&#39;ve covered up for (Syrian President Bashar al-) Assad, those types of things we&#39;re not going to give them a pass on,&quot; she said.

&quot;So I have had conversations with the president where he very much sees Russia as a problem.&quot;

The Republican president has come under sustained fire from political opponents for not voicing tougher criticism of Russia at a time when US law enforcement agencies and lawmakers are probing alleged ties between his campaign and the Kremlin.

&quot;Everybody wants to hear his (Trump&#39;s) words, but look at his actions,&quot; said Haley, adding that Russia opposed strengthening of the US military and US energy expansion.

&quot;The president has done both of those,&quot; she told the opening night of the eighth annual summit that was founded by journalist Tina Brown.&nbsp;

The remark was met by jeers from an, at times, hostile crowd in a largely Democratic-voting city where many dislike the president.

The United States and Russia are on a collision course over Syria after an horrific chemical attack early Tuesday killed at least 86 people in rebel-held Khan Sheikhun in northern Syria.

Trump came to office promising both to improve ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin but earlier Wednesday US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged Russia to rethink its support for Assad.

Haley, a former Republican governor of South Carolina who endorsed Trump&#39;s primary election rival Marco Rubio last year, said she had &quot;a lot&quot; of interaction with the president.

&quot;I talked to him this morning,&quot; she said, adding that she was in Washington at least once if not twice a week for the president&#39;s National Security Council meetings and was also working to keep US senators informed.

Her conversation with a television anchor spanned just over 20 minutes and was several times interrupted by an apparent heckler. She was applauded for remarks in support of veterans and military families.

(AFP)

US and Russia are on a collision course over Syria after a chemical attack early Tuesday killed at least 86 people in northern Syria

President Donald Trump does consider Russia a problem, his ambassador to the United Nations and rising US administration star Nikki Haley insisted before an often-hostile New York audience Wednesday. "I have hit Russia over the head more times than I can count and it's because if they do something wrong we're going to call them out on it," she told the annual Women in the World Summit. "The things they've done with Crimea and Ukraine... and how they've covered up for (Syrian President Bashar al-) Assad, those types of things we're not going to give them a pass on," she said. "So I have had conversations with the president where he very much sees Russia as a problem." The Republican president has come under sustained fire from political opponents for not voicing tougher criticism of Russia at a time when US law enforcement agencies and lawmakers are probing alleged ties between his campaign and the Kremlin. "Everybody wants to hear his (Trump's) words, but look at his actions," said Haley, adding that Russia opposed strengthening of the US military and US energy expansion. "The president has done both of those," she told the opening night of the eighth annual summit that was founded by journalist Tina Brown. The remark was met by jeers from an, at times, hostile crowd in a largely Democratic-voting city where many dislike the president. The United States and Russia are on a collision course over Syria after an horrific chemical attack early Tuesday killed at least 86 people in rebel-held Khan Sheikhun in northern Syria. Trump came to office promising both to improve ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin but earlier Wednesday US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged Russia to rethink its support for Assad. Haley, a former Republican governor of South Carolina who endorsed Trump's primary election rival Marco Rubio last year, said she had "a lot" of interaction with the president. "I talked to him this morning," she said, adding that she was in Washington at least once if not twice a week for the president's National Security Council meetings and was also working to keep US senators informed. Her conversation with a television anchor spanned just over 20 minutes and was several times interrupted by an apparent heckler. She was applauded for remarks in support of veterans and military families. (AFP)

Trump does see Russia as 'problem': US envoy

The United States&#39;ambassador to the United Nations said there was no doubt Russia had meddled into last year&#39;s US presidential election.

Nikki Haley, during an interview with American broadcaster ABC, said action should be taken against Moscow once the investigations are over to deter future mischief.

&quot;Certainly, I think Russia was involved in the election. There&#39;s no question about that,&quot; Haley told ABC&#39;s programme named This Week on Sunday.

&quot;And I think when they finish with all of this process, yes, they need to address Russia. They need to act,&quot; she told Martha Raddatz.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied his country meddled in the contest between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3l0g0GYcrNM" width="560"></iframe>

While the Trump White House rejects any suggestion that Trump or his staff had connections to Russia, Trump himself has said he believes Russian operatives hacked Democratic Party emails but that any Russian involvement in the election didn&#39;t affect the outcome.

US intelligence agencies report that Russia tried to help Trump&#39;s campaign effort.

The FBI has started its investigations into claims of Russia&#39;s direct involvement during the US election. Some of Trump&#39;s aides are being probed whether they were in cahoots with the Kremlin.

Trump as president persuaded Haley to leave the governorship of South Carolina to represent the US at the United Nations.

In the interview with&nbsp;ABC, she said Trump hasn&#39;t told her not to criticise Russia and that she was &quot;beating up on Russia&quot; over issues such as its actions in Crimea and its dispute with Ukraine.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

The US ambassador to the UN said action needed to be taken against Moscow once investigations are over

The United States'ambassador to the United Nations said there was no doubt Russia had meddled into last year's US presidential election. Nikki Haley, during an interview with American broadcaster ABC, said action should be taken against Moscow once the investigations are over to deter future mischief. "Certainly, I think Russia was involved in the election. There's no question about that," Haley told ABC's programme named This Week on Sunday. "And I think when they finish with all of this process, yes, they need to address Russia. They need to act," she told Martha Raddatz. Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied his country meddled in the contest between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton. While the Trump White House rejects any suggestion that Trump or his staff had connections to Russia, Trump himself has said he believes Russian operatives hacked Democratic Party emails but that any Russian involvement in the election didn't affect the outcome. US intelligence agencies report that Russia tried to help Trump's campaign effort. The FBI has started its investigations into claims of Russia's direct involvement during the US election. Some of Trump's aides are being probed whether they were in cahoots with the Kremlin. Trump as president persuaded Haley to leave the governorship of South Carolina to represent the US at the United Nations. In the interview with ABC, she said Trump hasn't told her not to criticise Russia and that she was "beating up on Russia" over issues such as its actions in Crimea and its dispute with Ukraine. (WION with inputs from PTI)

No doubt Russia meddled in US election: Nikki Haley

Russia mounted a campaign of &quot;propaganda on steroids&quot; seeking to influence the 2016 US &nbsp;presidential election, the top Democrat on the US Senate Intelligence Committee said on Thursday, listing several areas of concern about possible links to Republican Donald Trump&#39;s campaign.

In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin again denied that Russia tried to influence the election, but in doing so he made reference to the wrong US&nbsp;president in answering a question at an Arctic forum.

&quot;Once, Reagan, while discussing, I think, taxes, told the Americans: &#39;Read my lips: &lsquo;No!&rsquo;&quot;

His reply recalled what George HW&nbsp;Bush told Americans during his 1988 presidential election campaign, &quot;Read my lips: No new taxes.&quot;

Trump has dismissed suggestions of links with Moscow as Democratic Party sour grapes about his surprise November defeat of the party&#39;s candidate, Hillary Clinton. US&nbsp;intelligence agencies said Russia hacked emails of senior Democrats and orchestrated the release of embarrassing information to hurt Clinton&#39;s campaign.

&quot;I will not prejudge the outcome of our investigation,&quot; Senator Mark Warner told an intelligence committee hearing on the allegations. &quot;We are seeking to determine if there is an actual fire, but so far there is a great, great deal of smoke.&quot;

Putin also said on Thursday that contacts Russian diplomats had made in the United States were merely part of routine work.

At the hearing, lawmakers warned of the danger that Russia could interfere in elections in France and Germany this year and in future US campaigns. Cyber security experts at the rare day-long public hearing detailed what they described as the dissemination of disinformation and cyber attacks on both Democratic political operatives and Republicans.

Lawmakers and cyber experts mentioned stories that were being spread to discredit German Chancellor Angela Merkel. And they said Britain&#39;s &quot;Brexit&quot; vote last year on leaving the European Union should be examined.

Clinton Watts, a security consultant and former FBI agent, told Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican committee member, that he may have been a victim of Russian activity during his unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 Republican nomination against Trump.

Rubio later said he would not comment. But he told the hearing that in July 2016, after he announced he would run for re-election to the Senate, former members of his presidential campaign team were targeted by an unsuccessful cyber attack from Russia.

He said former campaign staffers were also targeted unsuccessfully from within Russia within the past 24 hours.

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&#39;Capable Adversary&#39;

&quot;We&#39;re all targets of a sophisticated and capable adversary,&quot; said Senator Richard Burr, a Republican who heads the intelligence committee.

Democrat Warner, who was a technology executive before entering politics, described a sweeping Russian campaign using trolls and botnets, or networks of hacked or infected devices, to spread large amounts of disinformation.

The campaign of &quot;fake news&quot; was particularly targeted at traditionally Democratic-leaning states such as Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, where Trump defeated Clinton by narrow margins that were not predicted by opinion polls, he said.

&quot;This Russian &#39;propaganda on steroids&#39; was designed to poison the national conversation in America,&quot; Warner said.

Citing concerns to be addressed in the committee&#39;s probe, Warner listed the prediction by a Trump associate about the release of hacked emails weeks before they were released, a change in the Republican Party&#39;s platform to water down language on Ukraine, and Trump&#39;s campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and other Trump associates being forced to step down over ties to Russia.

A separate investigation in the House of Representatives into the intelligence agencies&#39; allegations of a Russian role in the US election has become mired in controversy over accusations that its Republican chairman, Trump ally Devin Nunes, is not impartial.

Nunes and Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House committee, met on Thursday to discuss their investigation. Schiff said the two had discussed obtaining documents before deciding which witnesses to call in.

The New York Times reported on Thursday that two White House officials played a role in providing Nunes with documents the Republican committee chairman cited to show Trump and his associates were swept up in surveillance by US intelligence.

Trump said Nunes&#39; comments about the surveillance helped justify his insistence, made without evidence, that former President Barack Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower in New York, his campaign headquarters.

(Reuters)

Putin said on Thursday that contacts Russian diplomats had made in the United States were merely part of routine work

Russia mounted a campaign of "propaganda on steroids" seeking to influence the 2016 US presidential election, the top Democrat on the US Senate Intelligence Committee said on Thursday, listing several areas of concern about possible links to Republican Donald Trump's campaign. In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin again denied that Russia tried to influence the election, but in doing so he made reference to the wrong US president in answering a question at an Arctic forum. "Once, Reagan, while discussing, I think, taxes, told the Americans: 'Read my lips: ‘No!’" His reply recalled what George HW Bush told Americans during his 1988 presidential election campaign, "Read my lips: No new taxes." Trump has dismissed suggestions of links with Moscow as Democratic Party sour grapes about his surprise November defeat of the party's candidate, Hillary Clinton. US intelligence agencies said Russia hacked emails of senior Democrats and orchestrated the release of embarrassing information to hurt Clinton's campaign. "I will not prejudge the outcome of our investigation," Senator Mark Warner told an intelligence committee hearing on the allegations. "We are seeking to determine if there is an actual fire, but so far there is a great, great deal of smoke." Putin also said on Thursday that contacts Russian diplomats had made in the United States were merely part of routine work. At the hearing, lawmakers warned of the danger that Russia could interfere in elections in France and Germany this year and in future US campaigns. Cyber security experts at the rare day-long public hearing detailed what they described as the dissemination of disinformation and cyber attacks on both Democratic political operatives and Republicans. Lawmakers and cyber experts mentioned stories that were being spread to discredit German Chancellor Angela Merkel. And they said Britain's "Brexit" vote last year on leaving the European Union should be examined. Clinton Watts, a security consultant and former FBI agent, told Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican committee member, that he may have been a victim of Russian activity during his unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 Republican nomination against Trump. Rubio later said he would not comment. But he told the hearing that in July 2016, after he announced he would run for re-election to the Senate, former members of his presidential campaign team were targeted by an unsuccessful cyber attack from Russia. He said former campaign staffers were also targeted unsuccessfully from within Russia within the past 24 hours. 'Capable Adversary' "We're all targets of a sophisticated and capable adversary," said Senator Richard Burr, a Republican who heads the intelligence committee. Democrat Warner, who was a technology executive before entering politics, described a sweeping Russian campaign using trolls and botnets, or networks of hacked or infected devices, to spread large amounts of disinformation. The campaign of "fake news" was particularly targeted at traditionally Democratic-leaning states such as Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, where Trump defeated Clinton by narrow margins that were not predicted by opinion polls, he said. "This Russian 'propaganda on steroids' was designed to poison the national conversation in America," Warner said. Citing concerns to be addressed in the committee's probe, Warner listed the prediction by a Trump associate about the release of hacked emails weeks before they were released, a change in the Republican Party's platform to water down language on Ukraine, and Trump's campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and other Trump associates being forced to step down over ties to Russia. A separate investigation in the House of Representatives into the intelligence agencies' allegations of a Russian role in the US election has become mired in controversy over accusations that its Republican chairman, Trump ally Devin Nunes, is not impartial. Nunes and Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House committee, met on Thursday to discuss their investigation. Schiff said the two had discussed obtaining documents before deciding which witnesses to call in. The New York Times reported on Thursday that two White House officials played a role in providing Nunes with documents the Republican committee chairman cited to show Trump and his associates were swept up in surveillance by US intelligence. Trump said Nunes' comments about the surveillance helped justify his insistence, made without evidence, that former President Barack Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower in New York, his campaign headquarters. (Reuters)

Russian 'propaganda on steroids' aimed at 2016 US election: Lawmaker