We're no stranger to the fact that the world's a dangerous place," he said. "We're the most powerful nation on Earth. We have to be strong."
Trump also said he would have a "big, beautiful fat letter" to deliver to Putin regarding the hacking of the Democratic National Committee.
"We have to talk to him in a tough-minded way," Trump said.
Trump's comments came the same day the Obama administration announced sanctions against Russia for its alleged meddling in the US election.
The sanctions target two Russian intelligence services and four officers of one of those services, the GRU, as well as