President Donald Trump said, he believes Vladimir Putin is being sincere when he denies meddling in the US election that propelled Trump to power, adding that the Russian leader felt very insulted by the allegations. <br/><br/>But in Washington the director of the CIA said, he stood by the US intelligence community's assessment that Russia did try to meddle in the election. <br/><br/>Trump, whose key former aides are under US investigation for possible collaboration with the Kremlin, said he repeatedly asked Putin about the claims during their chats at the APEC summit in the Vietnamese resort of Danang. <br/><br/>Trump told reporters on Air Force One as he flew to Hanoi for a state visit that Putin did not meddle in the election.<br/><br/>In May, US intelligence chiefs told Congress that they agreed with their analysts' conclusion that Russia had meddled in the election. <br/><br/>The US president's latest comments suggest he accepts Russia's staunch denials that the Kremlin played no part in helping him get to the White House.