Russian official burns Obama with Putin-leopard pic

The image here was tweeted by Russia’s deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin. (Twitter)

It's come to this.

Russia is turning to Twitter to drop a sissy bomb on President Obama, using photos to challenge the manliness of America's commander in chief, while pumping up their main man, President Vladimir Putin.

The post by Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin included side-by-side images of the two presidents. In one, Putin is confidently holding a majestic leopard. In the other, a notably younger Obama is holding a small, fluffy dog.

The caption: "We have different values and allies."

Burn.

The tweet follows a long-running Kremlin tactic of playing up Putin's macho image -- and, in this case, making the American president look like the 90-pound McFly.

It was no doubt prompted by the Obama administration joining the European Union earlier this week with a new set of sanctions aimed at Russia for its alleged meddling in the Ukraine conflict.

The Twitter slam, though, seemingly hasn't hurt the already icy relations between Washington and Moscow. The White House said Obama again spoke with Putin on Friday to discuss the situation in Ukraine.

"The President reiterated his deep concerns about Russia's increased support for the separatists in Ukraine," the White House said. "The President reinforced his preference for a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Ukraine, and the two leaders agreed to keep open their channels of communication."

No mention of the fluffy dog picture.