Russian president Vladimir Putin said his country must do everything it can to eradicate doping as he held a crisis meeting with his sports chiefs on Thursday morning (AEDT).

The talks followed the report this week by the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) independent commission that outlined widespread and government backed doping among Russian track and field athletes.

Putin said Russia must carry out its own inquiry into the WADA allegations but cautioned that any punishment should be “individual” and not collective.

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Russia faces a ban from major athletics competition including the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

Earlier, Russian sports minister Vitali Mutko blasted British anti-doping standards as “worse” than Russia’s.

“They say that medals won by our athletes at the 2012 Olympics in London should be withdrawn, but it’s the British system of anti-doping which was in operation there,” Mutko told the Russian Interfax news agency.

“Every medal winner was tested for doping and received their medal only after having tested negative.

“I’m sorry, but your system of control was of zero use and worse than ours.”

The IAAF will meet on Friday where the sport’s governing body is expected to follow the WADA recommendation and impose a worldwide ban on Russian athletes.