WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Wednes­day insisted his summit with Vladimir Putin had been a success, despite the uproar over his apparent acceptance of the Russian leader’s denial of election meddling — and criticism of his convoluted efforts to explain away his comments.

And in a move that could trigger further international worry, he also cast doubt on US commitment to Nato’s central principle of mutual defence, calling out new member Montenegro and warning that its “very aggressive” people could draw the alliance into war with Russia.

With a firestorm raging over the summit — and particularly the press conference that followed in which Trump failed to confront Putin or hold him to account — the US president backpedaled on Tuesday.

But by Wednesday, he was citing the “many positive things” he expects to come from the summit, where Trump and Putin met privately for some two hours, apparently with no one else present but their translators.

“While the Nato meeting in Brussels was an acknowledged triumph, with billions of dollars more being put up by member countries at a faster pace, the meeting with Russia may prove to be, in the long run, an even greater success,” Trump tweeted ahead of the cabinet meeting.

“So many people at the higher ends of intelligence loved my press conference performance in Helsinki,” Trump added. “Some people HATE the fact that I got along well with President Putin of Russia. They would rather go to war than see this,” he said. “It’s called Trump Derangement Syndrome!”

Even as he dialed down the rhetoric, he raised fresh Nato questions by offering a gibe about Montenegro, suggesting he would be displeased about having to defend the “tiny” nation if need be.

Trump found precious little support from either side of the political aisle for his decision not to confront the Russian leader.

Republican lawmakers have called for information on exactly what was discussed or negotiated in Helsinki.

“We don’t know what was said by our own president in a two-hour meeting,” House Republican Ryan Costello told CNN, adding he was concerned about Trump’s “damaging” remarks.

“These comments that come out of the president’s mouth are not helpful to Nato, they’re not helpful to international stability.” Some Democrats including Senator Richard Blumenthal have urged Senate leaders to subpoena Trump’s translator and the notes from the summit, so that Congress can learn what was discussed.

Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2018