This may be why Mr. Trump, for all his praise of Mr. Putin, could not back him on Crimea. Foreign policy experts will express outrage, and Mr. Trump, ever defiant, will refuse to budge. Only a month later did Mr. Putin acknowledge that the “militias” had been Russian troops. Instead, Russia deepened its involvement: Under the cover of an “aid convoy” into Ukraine, Russian troops, tanks and artillery streamed across the border, according to NATO officials. The Russian troops and tanks, having prevented Ukraine from retaking its territory, eventually receded.

Source: New York Times August 02, 2016 00:46 UTC