Obama Calls Out Russia's 'Brazen Assault' On Ukraine

President Barack Obama had harsh words for Russia's military presence in Ukraine in a speech made in Estonia on Wednesday. Citing the tenth anniversary of Baltic nations joining NATO, Obama said America and other members of the European Union have a shared vision of "a Europe, that is whole, and free, and at peace."

"That vision is threatened by Russia's aggression against Ukraine," Obama said. "It is a brazen assault on the territorial integrity of Ukraine, a sovereign and independent European nation. It challenges that most basic of principles of our international system, that borders cannot be redrawn at the barrel of a gun."

Obama also disputed what he described as the "distortions" that have fueled the crisis in Ukraine. Russia has said protests in that country that ousted the country's Moscow-allied President Viktor Yanukovych earlier this year were organized by fascists. Furthermore, Russia has denied extensive links with rebels who have fought Ukranian troops and said its military has only recently entered the country for humanitarian purposes.

In his speech, Obama said all of these claims from the Kremlin were untrue. He described the strategy employed by Russia and the rebels as "dark tactics from Europe's past that ought to be consigned to a distant history." Obama also stressed America's willingness to defend its NATO allies in the region.

This post is being continuously updated.