President Barack Obama proclaimed an unwavering and permanent US commitment to the security of its NATO allies, as he mounted a show of solidarity today with European nations anxious about Russia's aggression in Ukraine.
During a visit to Estonia, Obama said the US would send more Air Force units and aircraft to the Baltics.
Standing shoulder to shoulder with Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Obama called Estonia's Amari Air Base an ideal location to base those additional forces.
He ticked through a list of US military resources already at work in the region, and said the US has a duty under the NATO charter to the alliance's collective defence.
"It is unbreakable, it is unwavering, it is eternal. And Estonia will never stand alone," Obama said in Tallinn, Estonia's port capital.
Obama's firm words came as NATO nations were preparing to commit to a more robust rapid-response force for the region, in response to the crisis between Ukraine and Russia.
But shortly after Obama arrived in Europe, the office of Ukraine's president said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had reached agreement on a cease-fire, an unexpected development that added further uncertainty to Obama's meetings with regional leaders.
Obama said it was too early to tell what the cease-fire meant. He noted previous unsuccessful attempts and questioned whether pro-Russian separatists would abide by any cease-fire. "We haven't seen a lot of follow-up on so-called announced cease-fires," Obama said.
"Having said that, if in fact Russia is prepared to stop financing, arming, training, in many cases joining with Russian troops, activities in Ukraine and is serious about a political settlement, that is something we all hope for." Ilves, reacting to word of the cease-fire, said wryly, "I just hope it works."
The Estonian leader cautioned that for a cease-fire to be successful, Russia would have to acknowledge its own participation in the conflict, a step Moscow has previously refused to take. After a meeting with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko last week, Putin had said a cease-fire was not discussed because Russia was not a party to the conflict.
"This is aggression," Ilves said. "Russia must admit that it is a party to the conflict."
He called for "a robust and a visible ally presence here in Estonia," arguing that such a presence would be the best way to deter any potential aggressors in the region - a clear reference to Russia.
Obama held up Estonia as an example of how every member of the military alliance needs to do its fair share for the collective defence of all 28 members.
The US and Estonia are two of four NATO countries that fulfill their pledges to contribute 2 percent of their GDP to defense spending.
