Obama: US defends allies against Russia

PressTV – Obama: Russia “paying heavy price” over Ukraine crisis

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US President Barack Obama says Russia is “paying a heavy price for its actions” in Ukraine and declares an “unwavering” commitment to the security of its NATO allies as tensions escalate between West and Russia over the crisis in Ukraine.

“We will defend our NATO allies — every ally,” Obama said during a visit to Estonia on Wednesday.

“In this alliance, there are no old members or new members, no senior partners or junior partners — there are just allies, pure and simple. And we will defend the territorial integrity of every single one.”

The US president also announced plans to send military units and aircraft to the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to reassure those countries of their security amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

“It is unbreakable, it is unwavering, it is eternal. And Estonia will never stand alone,” Obama said during a joint news conference with Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves in Tallinn, Estonia’s port capital.

“Because we have stood together Russia has paid a heavy price for its actions,” the US president added.

Later Wednesday, Obama and Ilves were to hold broader security talks that include the presidents of Latvia and Lithuania. Then Obama will depart for Wales, where a two-day NATO summit will begin on Thursday.

Obama’s comments came as NATO nations were preparing to commit a more robust response to what they describe as Russia’s incursion in Ukraine. Some Western countries and the Kiev government accuse Moscow of having a hand in the crisis in eastern Ukraine where pro-Russian forces are engaged in fierce battles with government forces.

Russia denies the allegations.

The EU and Washington have imposed several rounds of sanctions against a number of Russian entities and individuals over its alleged involvement in the crisis in Ukraine, triggering Kremlin to impose retaliatory measures against some European countries and the US.

Ukraine’s mainly Russian-speaking regions in the east have witnessed deadly clashes between pro-Moscow forces and the Ukrainian army since Kiev launched military operations to silence the pro-Russians there in mid-April.

Violence intensified in May after the two flashpoint regions of Donetsk and Luhansk held local referendums, in which their residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence from Ukraine.

The West and Russia have been at loggerheads over the political situation in Ukraine after pro-Western forces ousted country’s Russian-backed president Viktor Yanukovych back in February 2014.

AHT/DT