Trump Says US Should Accept Putin's Conquest of Crimea

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is suggesting the U.S. accept Russia's annexation of Crimea if it would lead to better relations with Moscow and stronger cooperation in fighting Islamic State militants.

In an interview Sunday on ABC's "This Week," Trump suggested that the people of Crimea would rather be part of Russia. That runs counter to the Obama administration, which imposed economic sanctions against Russia for annexing the territory in Ukraine two years ago.

The United Nations doesn't want countries to recognize Crimea as part of Russia, and some top Republicans are staunchly defending Crimea against what they say is Russian aggression.

The interview got off to an awkward start, when Trump suggested that Putin was not involved in Ukraine.

"He's not going into Ukraine, just so you understand," Trump told ABC. "He's not going to go to Ukraine," Trump said.

"Well, he's already there, isn't he?" host George Stephanopoulos replied.

Trump responded by suggesting the Obama administration had failed to stop Putin, but then noted that many citizens of Crimea were allegedly supportive of Russia's decision to invade.

"Well, he's there in a certain way, but I'm not there. You have Obama there," Trump said. "And frankly that part of the world is mess, under Obama. With all the strength that you're talking about, and with all the power of NATO, and all of this, in the mean time, [Putin] takes Crimea."

He went on: "You know the people of Crimea, from what I've heard, would rather be with Russia than where they were, and you have to look at that also."

Trump professed ignorance of his campaign's apparent influence in removing a provision of the Republican Party platform that would've advocated providing arms to Ukraine to defend itself from Russian aggression.

"I was not involved in that. I'd have to take a look at it, but I was not involved in that," Trump said of the decision to alter the platform.