WASHINGTON, Jan. 11 – Rex Tillerson, the former Exxon Mobil CEO who is likely to be the next U.S. Secretary of State, suggested Wednesday he was in favor of arming Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, adding that the Obama administration lacked leadership among its European allies.

Tillerson, at confirmation hearings at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that Russia “poses a danger” and that the U.S.’s relations with Moscow must be defined.

"Russia, today, poses a danger, but it is not unpredictable in advancing its own interests," he said, criticizing US President Barack Obama's "very weak response" to Crimea.

He said he "would have recommended that Ukraine take all of the military assets that it had available" and put them along the eastern border.

Congress has long pressed to arm Kiev as fighting continues in the east of the country following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.

However, President Obama declined to provide much more than light equipment such as defensive gear for Ukrainian troops.

Tillerson said that Russia was one of several "adversaries" posing "considerable threats" to the world. But he refused to label Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal for country's role in the Syrian conflict, telling US Senators that "I would not use that term."

He added that Russia's "recent activities have disregarded American interests," in reference to the country's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its military intervention in Syria a little over a year ago.

During a nine-hour Senate confirmation hearing, US lawmakers frequently returned to questions concerning Tillerson's views on Russia, partly in light of criticism of his candidature after revelations of his close business ties with Putin.

Tillerson, who was awarded the Order of Friendship by Putin several years ago, declined to directly answer allegations that Russian hackers had intervened in the US presidential election.

However, the 64-year-old said he had no reason to doubt intelligence reports suggesting that hacking did occur, but declined to say whether he supported the sanctions leveled against Moscow in the wake of the allegations.

Tillerson emphasized the need for a different approach to dealing with Putin, saying that dialogue and engagement were critical to redefining the US-Russia relationship.

At one point, Tillerson admitted that he hadn't yet spoken to Trump regarding a policy concerning Russia, saying "that has not yet occurred." (nr/dw/ez)