Former US defense secretary Leon Panetta slammed President Barack Obama, saying the measures of the late against his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin were not enough to stop him in Ukraine.

Former US defense secretary Leon Panetta slammed President Barack Obama, saying the measures of the late against his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin were not enough to stop him in Ukraine.

"I would have taken some very tough positions with regards to Putin," Panetta told Fox News on Tuesday. 

The former CIA director also proposed strong military options about the crisis in Ukraine.
"Not just sanctions but I would have also provided military aid to the Ukrainians, resurrected the whole issue on missile defense," he added.

The United States accuses Russia of arming and supporting separatist forces fighting against the government in Kiev. The Kremlin, however, denies the allegations.
 
The Obama administration has imposed sanctions against the Kremlin over the Ukraine crisis.

The sanctions include restricting exports of American goods, services and technology to Russia’s largest oil companies.

The former official noted that Washington should stop Moscow from blackmailing other countries.

"I would make sure that NATO was strengthened in terms of the surrounding countries, and I would have provided an additional energy resource to make clear to Russia to make clear that they alone could not blackmail these countries through energy," Panetta said.

"Well that's the kind of tough position that needs to be taken if we're going to confront Putin," he continued. "When you deal with Putin, you better deal with him from strength."

The criticisms come while Panetta served Obama as the director of the CIA from 2009-2011 and secretary of defense from 2011-2013.

During a series of media appearances in the past days, Panetta questioned Obama’s presidency, saying that Obama might have “lost his way.”