Cleveland

The Trump campaign is dismissing reports that it lobbied to lessen support for Ukraine against Russia and Russian-backed rebels in the Republican party platform.

"I really don't understand the question," Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort said in response to a Ukrainian reporter. Asked whether eastern Europeans should be worried about Russia "run[ning] amok and harass[ing] its neighbors" under a Trump presidency, Manafort said the businessman would be a "strong leader."

"The people of the world should be concerned about what's going on in Washington today," Manafort said. "To all those enemies of democracy, strong leadership by the United States is something that they should fear, and Mr. Trump will be a strong leader."

The Washington Post reported Monday that the Trump campaign pushed delegates working on the party platform to decrease the supply of weapons to Ukrainians fighting Russian forces.

Trump and his advisers have shown signs of cozying up to Russia.

Manafort served as a lobbyist for former Ukrainian president and Vladimir Putin ally Viktor Yanukovych for years. Trump has also praised Putin for his "leadership" and said he would "get along very well" with him. The Russian leader has returned the favor, calling Trump "bright."

"Trump is a bright person," Putin said. "What, is he not bright? He's bright."

This story has been updated with a fuller quote from Manafort.