Hillary Clinton Calls Putin 'A Tough Guy With Thin Skin'

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday called Russian President Vladimir Putin a 'tough guy with a thin skin' and said he is 'squandering the potential' of Russia with his aggressive posture in Ukraine.

'As President Obama has said, the Russian intervention in Crimea violates international law and it is therefore of deep concern to the United States and our allies,' Clinton said during a speech at UCLA.

'I support the administration's call for Russia to respect its obligations and to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine.'

The possible Democratic presidential candidate and former top diplomat criticized Putin's 'thin skin.'

'I know we are dealing with a tough guy with a thin skin,' she said, citing her experiences with Putin during her time at the State Department.

'I know that his political vision is of a greater Russia,' she added. 'I said when I was still secretary that his goal is to re-Sovietize Russia's periphery, but in the process he is squandering the potential of such a great nation, the nation of Russia, and threatening instability and even the peace of Europe.'

On Tuesday, Clinton reportedly compared Putin's actions in Ukraine to Adolf Hitler's decisions in the run up to World War II.

'Now if this sounds familiar, it's what Hitler did back in the 30s,' she said, according to the Long Beach Press-Telegram. 'All the Germans that were ... the ethnic Germans, the Germans by ancestry who were in places like Czechoslovakia and Romania and other places, Hitler kept saying they're not being treated right.'

First published March 5 2014, 1:31 PM

Carrie Dann

Carrie Dann is a national political writer for NBCNews.com. She has worked for NBC and NBCNews.com since 2006. Dann writes about politics and Congress. Dann rejoined the web team after 18 months as a campaign reporter for NBC News, covering presidential and vice presidential candidates during the 2012 election. She also covered the 2007-2008 presidential campaign for NBC, including extensive reporting on the Iowa caucuses.Prior to her work at NBCNews.com, Dann was a staff reporter at CongressDaily, where she covered lobbying and government reform.A Virginia native, she now lives in Washington, D.C.

Expand Bio