When I said in an interview that Putin is "not going into Ukraine, you can mark it down," I am saying if I am President. Already in Crimea! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2016

Stephen F. Cohen, professor emeritus of Russian studies at Princeton and New York University, slammed Hillary Clinton for distorting Donald Trump's relationship to Russia on CNN's "Smerconish" show early Saturday, according toDemocrats have floated the idea that Trump has undisclosed connections with Russia, and irresponsibly so, according to Cohen. The "reckless branding of Trump as a Russian agent, most of it is coming from the Clinton campaign," he said. "And they really need to stop.""We're approaching a Cuban Missile Crisis level nuclear confrontation with Russia," Cohen continued. "And there is absolutely no discussion, no debate about this in the American media."The United States and Russia are in a "New Cold War," which Trump is trying to end, according to Cohen, but he said the media haven't been listening."Then along comes, unexpectedly, Donald Trump, who says he wants to end the New Cold War, and cooperate with Russia in various places ... and – astonishingly – the media is full of what only can be called neo-McCarthyite charges that he is a Russian agent, that he is a 'Manchurian candidate,' and that he is (Vladimir) Putin's client."Trump appeared with George Stephanopoulos on"This Week," where he claimed that Russia's President Putin wouldn't send troops into Ukraine, despite the fact that Russia did move soldiers into Ukrainian territory to annex the Crimean Peninsula."He's not going into Ukraine, OK, just so you understand. He's not going to go into Ukraine, all right? You can mark it down. You can put it down. You can take it anywhere you want," Trump said.Stephanopoulos then pointed out that "he's already there, isn't he?""OK – well, he's there in a certain way. But I'm not there," Trump responded. "You have Obama there. And frankly, that whole part of the world is a mess under Obama with all the strength that you're talking about and all of the power of NATO and all of this. In the meantime, he's going away. He takes Crimea."Trump clarified his statements on Monday, saying he meant that Russia wouldn't invade Ukraine if he becomes president.