Under fire, Trump says he misspoke on Russia election meddling

US President Donald Trump has said he accepts the conclusion that Russia sought to influence the 2016 US election -- after failing to challenge Vladimir Putin on the issue a day earlier

President Donald Trump on Tuesday moved to limit the damage from his summit with Vladimir Putin, claiming he misspoke in appearing to accept the Russian leader's denial of election meddling -- in a rebuke to US intelligence chiefs.

At their meeting in Helsinki on Monday, Trump failed to challenge Putin over the 2016 presidential election, seeming to accept at face value the strongman's denial that Moscow interfered in a bid to undermine Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.