BRUSSELS
President of the United States Barack Obama said on Wednesday that the U.S. and the European Union are united in their determination to isolate Russia and impose costs for its actions in Ukraine.
Obama, on his first official visit to Brussels, attended a memorial ceremony at the Flanders Field American Cemetery with King Phillipe of Belgium and Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo to pay tribute to American soldiers who died in the World War I.
He then met President of the European Council Herman Von Rompuy, President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton for an EU-U.S. summit and working luncheon.
Similarly to the Nuclear Security Summit at the Hague, Ukraine dominated discussions where the leaders gave messages on their "close cooperation" and reiterated their condemnation of Russia and the need for a de-escalation in tensions.
At a joint press conference afterwards, Obama reaffirmed that the EU and U.S. are "united in our determination to isolate Russia and impose costs for its actions in Ukraine," and made it clear that the "consequences for Russia's economy would continue to grow" if the country continued on its current course.
"Russia stands alone," Obama stated as he confirmed U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron's previous assertion that the G7 Summit in June will now be held in Brussels and not in Russia.
The U.S. President pointed out that Russia had clearly miscalculated if it had thought it could "drive a wedge between the European Union and the United States" or that the world wouldn't care about its actions.
The EU-U.S. Summit was also the backdrop for negotiations over free trade talks particularly regarding the shipping of U.S. oil and gas to Europe, Iran and the actions of America’s National Security Agency.
After his talks with EU officials, Obama will now have a bilateral meeting with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen where he will reaffirm the U.S.’s guarantee on security for its NATO allies according to senior White House officials. It is also more than likely that Ukraine and Russia will dominate discussions on the sidelines.
Obama is then due in Rome for a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican before heading for Saudi Arabia.
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