Former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton expresses her views at the Brookings Institution on September 9, 2015. She largely spoke of the significance of the Iran nuclear deal and its implications for the future of U.S. foreign policy. She also discussed the need to stand up forcefully against Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine. Photo by Pete Marovich/UPI | License Photo

WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday that the United States should apply more pressure on increased Russian military aggression.

"I remain convinced that we need a concerted effort to really up the costs on Russia and in particular on Russian President Vladimir Putin. I think we have not done enough," Clinton said in a speech at Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., Sputnik News reported.


"I think Russia's objectives are to stymie and to confront and undermine American power whenever and wherever they can. I don't think there's much to be surprised about them. We have to do more to get back talking about how to we try to confine, contain, deter Russian aggression in Europe and beyond. And try to figure out what are the best tools for doing that. And don't lose sight of the Arctic because we're going to have a lot of issues up there as well," she added.

The United States and the European Union have imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russia since the Kremlin's annexation of Crimea in March 2014. At least 6,800 people have been killed since fighting began in the Donetsk and neighboring regions, according to U.N. estimates.

"We can't dance around it anymore. We all wish it would go away. We all wish Putin would choose to modernize his country and move toward the West instead of sinking himself into historical roots of tsar-like behavior, and intimidation along national borders and projecting Russian power in places like Syria and elsewhere," Clinton added.

Clinton, as secretary of state, presented her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in March 2009 with a red "reset" button as a gift for the Russian government.

"I would like to present you with a little gift that represents what President Obama and Vice President Biden and I have been saying and that is: 'We want to reset our relationship, and so we will do it together,'" she said at the time.

Clinton also said on Wednesday that the Iran nuclear deal negotiated between the P5+1 countries and Tehran must be enforced with "vigor and vigilance." She said she would not hesitate to take military action and protect the United States and its allies.