Xinhua News Agency
August 15, 2014
Obama to visit Estonia to reassure allies amid Ukraine crisis
WASHINGTON: U.S. President Barack Obama will travel to Estonia in early September for a visit aimed at reaffirming U.S. commitment to its Baltic allies amid the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, the White House said Friday.
During his stay, Obama will meet President Toomas Hendrik Ilves and Prime Minister Taavi Roivas to discuss bilateral ties, strategic and regional cooperation, and commitment of the two countries to the trans-Atlantic partnership, National Security Council spokesperson Caitlin Hayden said in a statement.
Obama will also meet two other Baltic presidents — Latvia’s Andris Berzins and Lithuania’s Dalia Grybauskaite – to discuss cooperation on regional security, economic growth and collective defense, Hayden said.
“This trip is a chance to reaffirm our ironclad commitment to Article V as the foundation” of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), said Hayden, adding that the United States has taken steps to reassure allies in Central and Eastern Europe in light of recent developments in Ukraine.
After visiting Estonia, Obama will proceed to Britain to attend a NATO summit, Hayden added.
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