Trump backs US spies on Russia meddling, but slams Putin 鈥榟aters鈥�

US President Donald Trump (L) shakes hands with Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) as they pose for a group photo ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit leaders gala dinner in the central Vietnamese city of Danang on November 10, 2017. (AFP)

HANOI: US President Donald Trump said on Sunday he backed US intelligence agencies who concluded that Russia meddled in the 2016 US presidential election, but slammed 鈥渇ools鈥� who oppose better ties with Moscow.
Key former Trump aides are under US investigation for possible collaboration with the Kremlin, and the issue of whether Moscow interfered with last year鈥檚 vote has overshadowed the tail end of the president鈥檚 Asia tour.
Trump returned to the subject in an early morning Twitter storm in Vietnam, which also saw him take a sarcastic dig at North Korea鈥檚 鈥渟hort and fat鈥� leader Kim Jong Un.
Addressing a press conference in Hanoi, Trump was asked to clarify comments he had made on Air Force One the day before about Russian President Vladimir Putin鈥檚 insistence that Moscow had never tried to affect the US vote.
鈥淚 believe he feels he and Russia did not meddle in the election,鈥� Trump said.
鈥淎s to whether or not I believe it or not, I鈥檓 with our agencies. I believe in our... intelligence agencies,鈥� he added.
But in his barrage of tweets, Trump slammed 鈥渉aters and fools鈥� who questioned his efforts to improve ties with Russia.
鈥淭here (sic) always playing politics 鈥� bad for our country. I want to solve North Korea, Syria, Ukraine, terrorism, and Russia can greatly help!鈥� he said.
In May, US intelligence chiefs told Congress they agreed with their analysts鈥� conclusion that Russia had interfered in the election.
CIA Director Mike Pompeo, who was appointed by Trump, said Saturday he still held to that evaluation.
Trump鈥檚 tour of Asia has been dominated by the issue of North Korea and its ambitions to become a full-fledged nuclear state.
His public pronouncements on Pyongyang over the last week have veered from denouncing it as a 鈥渃ruel dictatorship鈥� to offering a hand of friendship to Kim.
On Sunday, his tone shifted back to one of hostility.
Citing descriptions by North Korean officials and state media of him as an 鈥渙ld鈥� man, another Trump tweet suggested he was disappointed by what he took to be a personal attack from the North鈥檚 young leader.
鈥淲hy would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me 鈥渙ld,鈥� when I would NEVER call him 鈥渟hort and fat?鈥� Trump wrote.
鈥淥h well, I try so hard to be his friend 鈥� and maybe someday that will happen!鈥� he added.
He later insisted he had not been joking about eventually befriending a man he denounced last week as a 鈥渢wisted鈥� dictator.
鈥淚t鈥檚 certainly a possibility. If that did happen, it would be a good thing,鈥� he told reporters.