"With Putin, I said, 'If you go into Ukraine, I'm going to bomb the s--t out of Moscow,'" Trump can be heard saying on the recording. "He said 'No way,' and I said, 'Way.' And then he goes,

Is there a direct link between what US President Donald Trump says and what Russian President Vladimir Putin does? Certainly, the harsh words and bitter violence of recent days in Ukraine suggest the answer is maybe.