Sen. John Barrasso John Anthony BarrassoGOP senator attacks Biden: 'I'm not sure what he recalls' Oil and gas is a partner — not an adversary — in meeting our economic and environmental goals Murkowski: Supreme Court nominee should not be taken up before election MORE (R-Wyo.) said Sunday that President Trump Donald John TrumpOmar fires back at Trump over rally remarks: 'This is my country' Pelosi: Trump hurrying to fill SCOTUS seat so he can repeal ObamaCare Trump mocks Biden appearance, mask use ahead of first debate MORE made the right decision to cancel his bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Group of 20 summit, and urged the U.S. and NATO to take stronger action in response to Russian aggression toward Ukraine.

"Putin is somebody that respects strength and territory. Words don’t mean much to him. Action does, so I think we need to do more," Barrasso said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

He suggested the U.S. send ships to the Black Sea, and encouraged NATO to do the same in a show of force against Russia. He also suggested providing additional anti-aircraft and anti-ship weaponry to Ukraine.

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"Putin respects strength and action. He will not stop until he is stopped. He can smell fear, and that’s the way he acts," said Barrasso, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

WATCH: Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) says that President Trump made “the right call not to meet” with Russian President Putin in Argentina. #MTP.@SenJohnBarrasso: “I think we need NATO’s involvement” to curb Russian aggression. pic.twitter.com/YNDANcUGGM — Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) December 2, 2018

Tensions flared last week between Ukraine and Russia after the Ukrainian navy said Russia fired on some of its ships in the Kerch Strait, hitting two vessels and injuring two crew members. Russia then seized both ships and a tugboat, Ukraine said.

Russia’s federal security service, the FSB, said it seized the ships for illegally sailing into Russian territorial waters.

Global leaders condemned the move, and Trump cited the altercation as a reason for cancelling a previously scheduled one-on-one meeting with Putin in Argentina. The two men instead spoke briefly during what the White House called an "informal" conversation.

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, prompting significant international backlash and sanctions against Moscow. The U.S. and most other nations have not recognized Russia's annexation of Crimea as legitimate.

Trump has drawn flak at times for his hesitance to criticize Russia over is election interference or its annexation of Crimea, among other topics.