Trump to look at recognizing Crimea as Russian territory, lifting sanctions

Donald Trump said Wednesday that, if he is elected president, he would consider recognizing Crimea as Russian territory and lifting the sanctions against Russia.

At a wide-ranging news conference, Trump said he “would be looking into that” when asked about his stance on Crimea and Russia. The Crimean Peninsula has been part of Ukraine for decades, but Russian President Vladimir Putin annexed the territory in March 2014 after a popular revolt toppled Kiev's pro-Russian government.


The United States, along with the European Union, has refused to recognize the annexation or the referendum legitimizing it and has enforced sanctions on Russian state banks and corporations.

Crimea, historically a popular tourist destination for Russians seeking out its subtropical climate, formally became part of Ukraine, in 1956, while it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, and remained part of Ukraine after it the USSR broke up in 1991.

Trump’s comments on Crimea came during the same news conference that he suggested Russia should hack Hillary Clinton’s email server to “find the 30,000 emails that are missing.” The remark has been harshly criticized, and the Clinton campaign said it has now become a national security issue.