The White House reports that President Barack Obama placed calls and held conversations with both Chancellor Merkel of Germany (regarding the ongoing crisis in Ukraine), and President Hollande of France (on the Iraq problem), today. Here are the readouts of those conversations:
Readout of the President’s Call with President Hollande of France
The President spoke this morning with President Hollande of France about the latest developments in Iraq. The two leaders agreed on the need for an urgent, coordinated international response to the humanitarian disaster unfolding on Mount Sinjar. They underscored the serious threat that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant poses to all Iraqi communities throughout the country, and discussed the need to support the Iraqis by increasing their ability to counter these extremists. The two Presidents also discussed the targeted strikes that the Unites States is undertaking to protect U.S. personnel and prevent ISIL’s advance on Erbil, and agreed to work together on a longer term strategy to counter ISIL.
Readout of the President’s Call with Chancellor Merkel of Germany
The President spoke today with Chancellor Merkel of Germany regarding the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. The two leaders agreed that any Russian intervention in Ukraine, even under purported “humanitarian” auspices, without the formal, express consent and authorization of the Government of Ukraine is unacceptable, violates international law, and will provoke additional consequences. They reiterated that we continue to urge Russia to engage with the international community and the Ukrainian government to find a political solution to the crisis.
Stay tuned.