Donald Trump says he believes Russia wanted Hillary Clinton to win the US presidential election.

He also insists he was unaware of his son's controversial meeting with a Russian lawyer until a "couple of days ago".

Donald Trump Jr had hoped to unearth compromising information on Mrs Clinton.

His father is arriving in Paris this morning, as allegations over his team's links with Moscow continue.

Before he left, he told the Christian Broadcasting Network he thinks Russia wanted Mrs Clinton to win.

"As an example: if Hillary had won our military would be decimated, our military would be much more expensive.

"And that's what Putin doesn't like about me - and that's why I say 'Why would he want me?'".

And speaking to the Reuters news agency in the Oval Office, Mr Trump said he directly asked Russian President Vladimir Putin last week whether he had meddled in the US election campaign.

"I said: 'Did you do it?' and he said: 'No, I did not. Absolutely not.

"I then asked him a second time in a totally different way. He said absolutely not," he said.