Washington (CNN) Secretary of Defense James Mattis slammed Russia on Friday, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin "attempts to undermine America's moral authority" and "seeks to shatter NATO."

"He aims to diminish the appeal of the western democratic model and attempts to undermine America's moral authority, his actions are designed not to challenge our arms at this point but to undercut and compromise our belief in our ideals," Mattis said at a graduation ceremony for the US Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.

Mattis also alluded to Moscow's military actions in Crimea and eastern Ukraine, saying Russia has "proven willing to use conventional and irregular power in violation of international norms."

"For the first time since World War II, Russia has been the nation that has redrawn international borders by force in Georgia and Ukraine while pursuing veto authority over their neighbors' diplomatic, economic and security decisions," he added.

His remarks came shortly after President Donald Trump said his predecessor, President Barack Obama, was responsible for Putin's actions in Ukraine, including Moscow's 2014 military incursion into and annexation of Crimea.

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