(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) US President Barack Obama welcomed NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to the White House for the first time on Tuesday, and both leaders called on Russia to withdraw its forces from Ukraine and abide by the Minsk agreement.
According to the White House pool report, Obama said Russia has taken on an "increasingly aggressive posture," but that NATO would continue to support Ukraine's sovereignty.
Stoltenberg called the Minsk agreement the "path to peace," and said the US and NATO have a "common understanding that the alliance is facing a new security environment." On the threat from ISIL, Stoltenberg said NATO members need to strengthen their defense forces and halt cuts to their budgets, particularly considering the partnership projects underway in Jordan and Iraq.
He added that NATO is ready to assist Libya when the conditions allow it, according to the pool report.
Obama also noted NATO's role along its "southern front," as it works with the GCC and the African Union to combat security threats in those regions, the White House pool said.
Looking ahead to the NATO summit in Warsaw, Poland, next year, the president said the alliance's troop drawdown in Afghanistan would be a major point of discussion.
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