The White House says President Trump is not interested in Vladimir Putin's plan for resolving conflict in eastern Ukraine.
“The administration is not considering supporting a referendum in the eastern Ukraine,” said Garrett Marquis, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council.
Putin told Russian diplomats that he made a proposal to Trump at their summit in Helsinki on July 16 to call a referendum to help resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine, but agreed not to disclose the plan publicly so the U.S. president could consider it, according to two people who attended Putin’s closed-door speech on Thursday.
Details on the proposal were reported by Bloomberg News Thursday, as worries in the U.S. are rising about what Trump and Putin discussed during a one-on-one session in Helsinki that lasted more than two hours.
As of Friday, the only known result of Monday's private meeting was President Trump's plan for a second meeting.
Exactly what Mr. Trump and Putin discussed, and what agreement or agreements they reached, has been the topic of much discussion and confusion. Only one other American, State Department translator Marina Gross, was in the room with the American and Russian presidents, and the White House has offered few details about what was discussed.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Voice of America this week that the Russians made proposals on "a number of things" in Helsinki. The White House did ultimately object to one proposal from Putin to hand over two Americans, including former U.S. Ambassador to Moscow Mike McFaul, for questioning.
On Tuesday, Russia suggested there had been more than one agreement forged by two leaders and even said it was ready to implement agreements reached by Mr. Trump and Putin. "The Russian Defense Ministry is ready for practical implementation of the agreements in the sphere of international security reached by Russian and US Presidents, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, at their Monday's summit in Helsinki," the Russian embassy tweeted.
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Separately, a senior administration official told ["Face the Nation" host Margaret] Brennan that Mr. Trump is telling his team that he held a firm line with Putin regarding Syria, and said U.S. troops will not leave until Iran leaves. That indefinite timeline contradicts Mr. Trump's earlier stated desire to draw down the roughly 2,000 American troops there.
As CBS News has previously reported, Mr. Trump said he wanted them withdrawn within six months.
Gen. Joseph Leonard Votel of U.S. Central Command said Thursday he has received no new orders regarding Syria.
Similarly, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats on Thursday said he didn't know the specifics of what Trump and Putin discussed. Coats also said there was a "risk" the Russians recorded the private conversation between the two world leaders.
"I don't know what happened in that meeting," Coats said during an interview at the Aspen Ideas Festival. "I think as time goes by - and the president has already mentioned some things that happened in that meeting - I think we will learn more. But that is the president's prerogative."
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Meanwhile, a US ambassador in Europe with a strong knowledge of Russia reportedly told The New Yorker diplomatic officials have been told "nothing" about what occurred between Trump and Putin.
"We are completely in the dark. Completely," the unnamed diplomat said.
Trump Rejects Putin Offer on Vote in Disputed Ukraine Region (Bloomberg Politics)
What Trump and Putin agreed to in Helsinki (CBS News)
US intelligence, military, and diplomatic officials still have no idea what Trump talked about with Putin, and that's dangerous (Business Insider)