Donald Trump: It is entirely unclear whether or not the president has met Vladimir Putin before, let alone whether he was involved in the election

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At least one thing is known about the meeting between presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin: They met.

But for the first time? Or again? Depends on which accounts from Trump you choose to believe.

At home and abroad over the past week, the U.S. president made a number of assertions at odds with reality, about the stock market, the "blazing" economy, NATO and more. But the curious lack of clarity on his personal history with the Russian leader perhaps stood out.

Here's a look at his statements on that subject over time, and a variety of other assertions in recent days:

1. Have the two met before?

   TRUMP, in a chronological mashup of statements from 2013 to 2016 on whether he had met Putin: "I met him once." "Yes. One time, yes. Long time ago. Got along with him great, by the way." "I got to know him very well because we were both on '60 Minutes,' we were stablemates." "I never met Putin. I don't know who Putin is." "I don't think I've ever met him. I mean if he's in the same room or something. But I don't think so." "I didn't meet him. I haven't spent time with him. I didn't have dinner with him. I didn't go hiking with him. I don't know — and I wouldn't know him from Adam except I see his picture and I would know what he looks like."

   PUTIN: "I never met with him." — June, NBC interview.

   PUTIN: "I am very happy to meet you, Mr. President." — remarks in a brief, public portion of their meeting Friday.

   THE FACTS: We don't know. But there is no public record of a prior private meeting.

   Trump initially claimed to have met Putin during business meetings in Russia or when he owned the Miss Universe beauty pageant, which was held in Moscow in 2013. As a foreign policy neophyte, he found it advantageous before his presidential campaign and during the early part of it to claim a relationship with Putin, to show he had the right stuff to deal with a world leader. When he risked appearing too close to Putin later in the campaign, he changed his story.

   This much is known: Trump and Putin were only "60 Minutes" "stablemates" because they were on the same program. Trump's segment was taped in New York; Putin's in Russia.

2. Did Putin have anything to do with the US election?

   TRUMP, on whether Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. elections: "Nobody really knows." He added: "So, it was Russia, and I think it was probably others also." — news conference in Poland on Thursday.

   NIKKI HALEY, U.S. ambassador to the U.N.: "Everybody knows that Russia meddled in our elections." — on CNN's "State of the Union," taped for broadcast Sunday.

   THE FACTS: The weight of evidence supports Haley's certainty more than her boss' equivocation. Multiple U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia meddled in the campaign, and for the purpose of giving Trump an advantage over Democrat Hillary Clinton. The full scope of the interference has not been established, nor whether Russian officials colluded with Trump associates in the campaign.

   White House officials said Trump confronted Putin about the interference in their private meeting Friday. Kremlin officials had a different account, saying Trump appeared accepting of Putin's denials that Moscow did anything untoward to shape the election.

   In Poland, Trump argued alternately that it could have been Russia, probably was Russia and indeed was Russia, while insisting it could have been other countries, too, and adding: "I won't be specific."