The West must "treat Russia properly" and address it as an equal, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said Thursday, criticising US President Barack Obama for labelling Moscow a mere regional power.

"I know from my conversations with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin that he (does not accept) phrases like when Barack Obama said Russia was a regional power. What does that mean? You can't talk about Russia like that," Juncker told a conference in the German town of Passau.