EU and US 'united' over crisis in Ukraine
LIVE: US President Obama gives news briefing on EU talks
The leaders of the European Union and the United States have stressed they are united over the crisis in Ukraine.
US President Barack Obama said Russia had been isolated as result of its actions in Crimea, but that diplomatic channels for Moscow remained open.
"The world is safer and more just" when the EU and US stand together, he said.
Other issues Mr Obama discussed with EU leaders Jose Manuel Barroso and Herman Van Rompuy included a trade partnership.
He said they had agreed to "step up efforts to boost growth" by working towards finalising details on a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, which would remove trade barriers between the EU and US.
They also reviewed negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme as well as efforts to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons.
High tensionsBut it was on Ukraine that the three men emphasised they "stand united".
Mr Van Rompuy called Russia's actions in Crimea "a disgrace in the 21st century, and we will not recognise it".
Mr Obama said Russia's leaders had "clearly miscalculated" if they thought they could "drive a wedge between the European Union and the United States".
He praised the EU for the steps it had already taken - along with the US - to penalise Russia and warned Moscow that the "isolation will deepen" if it carries on with its current course.
Ukraine's southern peninsula of Crimea was annexed by Russia earlier this month after a referendum which Kiev and the West considered illegal.
Tensions between Russia and Ukraine run high. Moscow accused Ukrainian officials on Wednesday of preventing Russian commercial pilots and crew from disembarking at Kiev International Airport.
The US presidential limousine leaves Mr Obama's hotel in central Brussels on Wednesday morning 
Security is high as the motorcade carrying the president drives through empty streets in the capital 
Mr Obama flew to Brussels after starting his European tour with a nuclear summit in The Hague This is Mr Obama's first official visit to the EU headquarters in Brussels.
He began his trip to Belgium with a visit to a cemetery in Flanders, where US soldiers killed in World War One are buried.
He paid tribute to fallen US soldiers at the American Cemetery and Memorial in Waregem, to mark 100 years since the start of WW1. Belgian King Philippe and Prime Minister Elio di Rupo were also in attendance.
Following his talks with EU Council President Herman Van Rompuy and EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, Mr Obama will meet Nato Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
In a major speech later, he is due to stress the importance of European security to the US, and warn Russia against threatening international stability.
The president flew in on Tuesday evening from the Dutch city of The Hague where he attended a summit on nuclear security with other world leaders.
Security is high in the Belgian capital, with police cordoning off areas near the EU headquarters and Mr Obama's hotel.
The presidential helicopter Marine One lands near the US military cemetery in Waregem 
Barack Obama is seen disembarking from the Marine One helicopter Some extra 800 police officers have been deployed on Brussels' streets for the duration of Mr Obama's visit.
In total, Belgium has spent 10m euros (£8.35m) on increased security.
The US president will stay in Brussels for less than 24 hours before travelling to Rome for a meeting with Pope Francis.
No comments:
Post a Comment