Donald Trump has said that he never met Russian President Vladimir Putin. (File Photo)
Highlights
- Donald Trump has said that he never met Vladimir Putin
- Clinton's campaign blamed Russia for the leak of emails
- The Kremlin has denied that Moscow was interfering in the US election
US presidential candidate Donald Trump insisted on Wednesday that he had "nothing to do with Russia" after Democrats accused Moscow of trying to help the Republican nominee win the November general election.
"I have nothing to do with Russia," he told reporters just outside Miami. "I said (Russian leader Vladimir) Putin has much better leadership qualities than (US President Barack) Obama, but who doesn't know that?"
The New York billionaire, who has never previously held elected office, has spoken frequently of his belief that he would "get on" with Putin and has stopped short of promising unconditional support for NATO allies.
On Wednesday, Trump said he had never met the Russian leader but cast doubt over accusations that Moscow was behind a hack of Democratic Party emails that embarrassed his rival Hillary Clinton's campaign.
"If it is Russia, nobody knows. It's probably China, or it could be somebody sitting in his bed. But it shows how weak we are. It shows how disrespected we are," he said.
Clinton's campaign blamed Russia for the leak of emails from the Democratic National Committee and Obama refused to rule out that Russia could be trying to sway the outcome of America's election on November 8.
The Kremlin on Wednesday denied Moscow was interfering in the US election.