US President Donald Trump has invited Russian leader Vladimir Putin to visit the US in the autumn, his press secretary says.

Sarah Sanders tweeted that discussions for the visit were already under way.

Earlier Mr Trump rejected a proposal by Mr Putin that Russia be allowed to question US citizens.
The two leaders held a summit in Finland on Monday but few details of what they discussed have emerged.
There has been no word from Russia about a second Trump-Putin meeting.

Controversy has raged over the Helsinki summit, with Mr Trump having to correct his own words from the press conference which followed it.

But on Thursday Mr Trump said the meeting was a "great success" and he was looking forward to their next meeting.

US Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called for Mr Trump to reveal what he discussed with Mr Putin.

"Until we know what happened at that two-hour meeting in Helsinki, the president should have no more one-on-one interactions with Putin. In the United States, in Russia, or anywhere else," he said in a statement.

Donald Trump has tweeted that the summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin was a "great success" and people at "higher ends of intelligence" loved his Helsinki news conference. As if to underline that point, plans are already under way for a sequel - this time in Washington DC.

Source: BBC Online

BDST: 1205 HRS, JUL 20, 2018
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