Donald Trump has claimed Russia is no longer targeting the US, just days after a senior intelligence official said the cyberattack threat from Moscow was “blinking red”.

A day after he said he accepted his intelligence agencies’ conclusion that Moscow had interfered in the 2016 election and that he had misspoken in Finland – a statement he was forced to make amid widespread anger over his comments in Helsinki – the president was asked at a cabinet meeting if Russia was still targeting the country.

As his officials sought to push the media out of the room, Mr Trump gave a brief shake of his head, and said “no”.

Trump "I accept" meddling did take place

Mr Trump, who had been accused of undermining his own intelligence services when he suggested he trusted their views no higher than the word of Vladimir Putin, claimed to reporters his administration was “doing very well” at handling Russia. “There has never been a president as tough on Russia has I have been,” he said.

Mr Trump’s claim that Russia was no longer targeting the US, appeared to be in sharp contrast to the views of one of his top intelligence officials, and a member of his cabinet.

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, last week raised what he said was the growing threat of cyberattacks against the United States, saying the situation was at a “critical point” and coming out forcefully against Russia.

Apparently aware of the controversy Mr Trump’s comments had made, the administration - for the second time in two days – said his remarks had been misconstrued.

Press secretary Sarah Sanders, who said she spoke with Mr Trump about his answer earlier during a cabinet meeting, said on Wednesday afternoon that the president had been declining to answer shouted questions when he said “no” to a question about Russia’s current efforts.

“The president said thank you very much and said no to answering questions,” Mr Sanders said. Suggesting that Mr Trump did still believe Russia posed a current threat, she added: “The president and his administration are working very hard to make sure Russia is unable to meddling in our elections.”

Speaking last week about the threat from Russia, Mr Coats had told the Hudson Institute in Washington last Friday: “The warning signs are there. The system is blinking. It is why I believe we are at a critical point.”

According to CNN, he added: “Today, the digital infrastructure that serves this country is literally under attack.”

Mr Coats compared the warning signs to those the US faced ahead of the September 11 attacks.

“It was in the months prior to September 2001 when, according to then-CIA Director George Tenet, the system is blinking red,” he said.

“And here we are nearly two decades later, and I’m here to say, the warning lights are blinking red again.”

He said the “worst offenders” were Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, and highlighted Russia as the “most aggressive foreign actor, no question. And they continue their efforts to undermine our democracy”.

Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests Show all 16 1 /16 Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests President Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki Reuters Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests An advert from Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat is on display in Helsinki Reuters Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests President Trump in a meeting with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto AFP/Getty Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests President Trump meets with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto in Helsinki EPA Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests President Trump talks with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto in Mantyniemi, the official residence of the Finnish President EPA Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests US, Finnish and Russian flags fly in front of the Presidential Palace in Helsinki EPA Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests A protester wears a mask featuring a portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin during the so-called "Helsinki against Trump and Putin" demonstration on July 16, 2018, in the Finnish capital Helsinki. The US and Russian leaders opened an historic summit in Helsinki on Monday, with Donald Trump promising an "extraordinary relationship" and Vladimir Putin saying it was high time to thrash out disputes around the world. / AFP PHOTO / Jonathan NACKSTRANDJONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images JONATHAN NACKSTRAND AFP/Getty Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests Vladimir Putin gifts a football to President Trump at the press conference that followed their meeting AP Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests Trump supporters hold banners during a demonstration in Helsinki AFP/Getty Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests People protest for women's reproductive rights in Helsinki's Senate Square Reuters Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests A crowd watches the motorcade transporting President Trump through Helsinki AFP/Getty Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests Russian President Putin drives through Helsinki on his way to meet with President Trump EPA Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests A man in the audience of the joint press conference holds up a sign sign that reads "NUCLEAR WEAPON BAN TREATY". REUTERS Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests A man is removed from the joint press conference in Helsinki. Security removed the man after he pulled out a sign that read "NUCLEAR WEAPON BAN TREATY". REUTERS Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests President Trump and Russia's President Putin sit for a working lunch in Finland's Presidential Palace AFP/Getty Trump in Helsinki: Putin meeting and protests President Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki Reuters

The comments by Mr Coats, came the same day the US Justice Department announced the indictment of 12 Russian military intelligence agents, accusing them of engaging in a “sustained effort” to hack Democrats’ emails and computer networks during the 2016 election.

On Saturday, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, said Russia had not yet targeted the 2018 midterm elections with a “scale or scope” of its efforts during the 2016 presidential election. But speaking at a conference in Philadelphia, Ms Nielsen said the intelligence community had observed “persistent Russian efforts using social media”.

Mr Trump had mentioned Mr Coats and his views that Russia tried to hack the 2016 election during his press conference with Mr Putin.

“My people came to me, Dan Coats came to me and some others, they said they think it’s Russia,” he said. “I have President Putin; he just said it’s not Russia.”

Mr Coats responded with was widely seen as a sharp rebuke to the president’s comments. “We have been clear in our assessments of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and their ongoing, pervasive efforts to undermine our democracy, and we will continue to provide unvarnished and objective intelligence in support of our national security,” he said in a statement.

On Wednesday, Mr Trump finished his comments about Russia, by saying: “I think President Putin knows that better than anybody, certainly a lot better than the media.