Amsterdam (CNN) President Trump must be much tougher on Russia if the Kremlin's rising power in the world is to be kept in check, according to former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.

In an exclusive CNN interview, Saakashvili praised President Trump for agreeing to supply anti-tank weapons to Ukraine and for taking recent military action against Russian mercenaries in Syria.

But he said more had to be done, including increasing sanctions on those close to Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader.

"Putin hates America. No matter who the American president is, the only good American president is a weak American president," Saakashvili told CNN in Amsterdam.

"In many ways Trump is on the right path, strengthening the US military, as Putin only understands the language of sheer force," Saakashvili said.

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