Trump disputes Kaine's claim he didn't know 'Russia took over Crimea'

Getty Images

Donald TrumpDonald TrumpDems look for comeback in battle for governorships Trump urges public to 'honor our American workers' in Labor Day video Trump riled by Chinese welcome for Obama MORE on Sunday disputed a claim made by Sen. Tim KaineTim KaineLabor leaders hit battlegrounds for Clinton Trump tears into ‘Lyin’ Hillary’ Trump disputes Kaine's claim he didn't know 'Russia took over Crimea' MORE (D-Va.) regarding the Republican presidential nominee's foreign policy knowledge.

ADVERTISEMENT
"Crooked Hillary's V.P pick said this morning that I was not aware that Russia took over Crimea," Trump tweeted.

"A total lie - and take over during O term!"

Kaine earlier Sunday said Trump was "not even aware that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin had gone into Crimea as recently as two weeks ago."

"He promised that Putin would not, and had to be reminded that Putin went in and took over Crimea two years ago," Kaine said on ABC's "This Week."

Kaine also criticized the Trump campaign's apparent "coziness" with Russia, citing former campaign chairman Paul Manafort's ties to a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine.

In July, Trump said in an interview that Putin wouldn't go into Ukraine, even though the Russian military has intervened in the nation's affairs since 2014.

"He's not going into Ukraine, OK? Just so you understand. He's not gonna go into Ukraine, all right? You can mark it down. You can put it down," Trump said.

In the interview, host George Stephanopoulos pushed back, saying, "Well, he's already there, isn't he?"

"OK, well, he's there in a certain way," Trump said.

"But I'm not there. You have [President] 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."