DUSHANBE, July 28, 2016, Asia-Plus -- Donald Trump said Wednesday he would consider recognizing Crimea as Russian territory and lifting the sanctions against the country if he’s elected president.

International media outlets report Trump said at a wide-ranging news conference that he “would be looking into that” when asked about his stance on Crimea and Russia.

The Atlantic reports the question came from Mareike Aden, a German reporter, who asked him whether a President Trump would recognize Crimea as Russian and lift sanctions on Moscow imposed after its 2014 annexation of the Ukrainian territory. The candidate’s reply: “Yes. We would be looking at that.”

The Crimean Peninsula has been part of Ukraine for decades, but Russia annexed the territory in March 2014.

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 the Ukrainian satellite state of the Soviet Union in 1954, and joined independent Ukraine after it left the Soviet bloc in 1991.

Trump’s comments on Crimea came during the same news conference that he suggested Russia hack Hillary Clinton’s email server, according to Reuters .  The remark has been harshly criticized, and the Clinton campaign said it has now become a national security issue.

Republican Donald Trump invited Russia to dig up tens of thousands of “missing” emails from Hillary Clinton''s time at the U.S. State Department, vexing intelligence experts and prompting Democrats to accuse him of urging foreigners to spy on Americans.

“Russia, if you''re listening, I hope you''re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” the Republican presidential nominee, told reporters.

Donald Trump’s call on Russia to hack Hillary Clinton’s emails resulted in widespread criticism.  But his comments on Crimea, coupled with ones he made last week on NATO, are likely to have greater significance if he is elected president in November.