Donald Trump has backtracked spectacularly after claiming he did not see why Russia would have interfered in the 2016 US election.
Back at the White House, the US president told reporters that he meant to say he did not see why Russia "wouldn't" be responsible.
He also said he accepts the American intelligence agencies' conclusion that Russia interfered in the presidential election.
He said: "I have felt very strongly that while Russia's actions had no impact at all on the outcome of the election, let me be totally clear in saying that - and I've said this many times - I accept our intelligence community's conclusion that Russia's meddling in the 2016 election took place.”
Mr Trump spoke a day after returning to the US to nearly universal anger over his performance at Russian President Vladimir Putin's side in Helsinki .
In the Finnish capital, Mr Trump did not condemn Russia's interference and refused to say he believes American intelligence agencies over Russia's denials of meddling.
In a press conference branded “disgraceful” back in the US, he stood alongside Mr Putin and praised his “strong and powerful” denial of election meddling.
Mr Putin had said he wanted Mr Trump to win the race against Democrat Hillary Clinton, but again denied Russian collusion.
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin meet in Helsinki, Finland
The press conference, following a long day of private discussions between the two leaders, sparked fury among many US officials.
House speaker Paul Ryan, the most senior elected Republican, emphasised the fact that US intelligence services had all concluded that Russia did interfere in the election.
“The president must appreciate that Russia is not our ally. There is no moral equivalence between the United States and Russia, which remains hostile to our most basic values and ideals,” he said.
“The United States must be focused on holding Russia accountable and putting an end to its vile attacks on democracy.”
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John McCain, chairman of the Senate armed services committee and a former Republican presidential nominee, said: “Today’s press conference in Helsinki was one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory.
“The damage inflicted by President Trump’s naivety, egotism, false equivalence, and sympathy for autocrats is difficult to calculate. But it is clear that the summit in Helsinki was a tragic mistake.”
