annexation. but that kind of casual indifference would ignore the lessons that are written in the cemeteries of this caught tenant. the message would be heard not just in europe but in asia, the americas, africa and the middle east. the consequences that would arise from complacency are not abstractions. the impact that they have on the lives of real people, men and women just like us have to enter into our imaginations. just look at the young people of ukraine who were determined to take back their future from a

government rotted by corruption. the portraits of the fallen shot by snipers, the visitors who pay their respect at the maidan. there were university students expressing hope that every country should live by the law. post graduate student speaking of her fellow protesters saying i want the people who are here to have dignity. imagine that you are the young woman who said there are some things that fear, police sticks, and tear gas cannot destroy. we've never met these people, but we know them. their voices echo calls for human dignity that rang out in

streets for generations. their voices echo around the world who at this very moment fight for their dignity. these ukrainians rejected a government that was stealing from the people instead of serving them, and they're reaching for the same ideals that allow us to be here today. none of us can know for certain what the coming days will bring in ukraine. but i am confident that eventually those voices, those voices for human dignity and opportunity and individual rights and rule of law, those voices ultimately will triumph. i believe that over the long haul as nations that are free, as free people, the future is ours.

i believe this not because i'm naive, i believe this not because of the strength of our arms or the size of our economies. i believe this because these ideals that we affirm are true. these ideals are universal. yes, we believe in democracy, with elections that are free and fair and independent judiciaries and opposition parties, civil society and uncensored information so individuals can make their own choices. yes, we believe in open economies based on free markets and innovation and individual initiative, entrepreneurship and trade and investment that creates a broader prosperity,

and yes we believe in human dignity, that every person is created equal no matter who you are, what you look like, where you come from, that is what we believe. that's what makes us strong. our enduring strength is also reflected in our respect for an international system that protects the rights of both nations and people. an united nations and declaration of human rights, international law and the means to enforce those laws. but we also know that those rules are not self-executing. they depend on people and nations of good will continually affirming them. that's why russia's violation of international law is assault on ukraine's sovereignty and

territorial integrity must be met with condemnation. not because we're trying to keep russia down, but because the principles that have meant so much to europe and the world must be lifted up. over the last several days the united states, europe, our partners around the world have been united in offense of these ideals, and united in support of the ukrainian people. together we have condemned russia's invasion of ukraine and rejected the legitimacy of the crimean referendum. together we have isolated russia politically, suspending it from the g-8 nations and down grading our bilateral ties. together we are imposing costs through sanctions that have left a mark on russia and those accountable for its actions.

and if the russian leadership stays on its current course, together we will insure that this isolation deepens. sanctions will expand, and the toll on russia's economy as well as it's standing in the world will only increase. meanwhile the united states and our allies will continue to support the government of ukraine as they chart a democratic course. together we are going to provide a significant package of assistance that can help stabilize the ukrainian economy and meet the basic needs of the people. make no mistake, neither the united states nor europe has any interest in controlling ukraine. we have sent no troops there. what we want is for the ukrainian people to make their own decisions. just like other free people around the world.

understand as well this is not another cold war that we're entering into. after all, unlike the soviet union, russia leads no bloc of nations, no global ideology. the united states and n.a.t.o. do not seek any conflict with russia. in fact, for more than 60 years we have come together in n.a.t.o. not to claim other lands but to keep nations free. what we will do always is up hold our solemn obligation, our article 5 duty to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our allies, and in that promise we will never waiver. n.a.t.o. nations never stand alone. today n.a.t.o. planes patrol the

skies over the baltics, and we've reinforced our presence in poland, and we're prepared to do more. going forward every n.a.t.o. state must step up and carry its share of the birthda burde by sg as a sole source of international peace and security. of course, ukraine is not a member of n.a.t.o. in a part because of its close and complex history with russia. nor will russia be dislodged from crimea or deterred from further escalation by military force. but with time so long as we remain united the russian people will recognize that they cannot achieve a security, prosperity, and the status that they seek

through brute force. that's why throughout this crisis we will combine our substantial pressure on russia with an open door for diplomacy. i believe that for both ukraine and russiaens a stable peace will come through deescalation, direct dialogue between russia and the government of ukraine and the international community, monitors who can insure that the rights of all ukrainians are protected, a process of constitutional reform within ukraine, and free and fair elections this spring. so far russia has resisted diplomatic overtures, annexing in crimea, and amassing large forces along ukraine's border. russia has justified these actions as an effort to prevent problems on its own borders, and to protect ethnic russians

inside ukraine. of course, there is no evidence, never has been a systemic violence against ethnic russians inside of ukraine. moreover, many countries around the world face similar questions about their borders and ethnic minorities abroad, about sovereignty and self-determination. these are tensions that have led other places to debate in democratic referendums, confli conflicts and uneasy coexistence, these are difficult issues, and it is precisely because these questions are hard that they must be addressed through constitutional means and international laws. so that the majorities cannot simply suppress minorities and big countries cannot simply bully the small.

in examin defending its actionsn leaders have cited kosovo as a precedent, the west interfering in the affairs of the smaller countries just as russia is doing now. but n.a.t.o. only intervened after there was systemic killing for four years, and left after referendums were organized in careful cooperation with the united nations and kosovo's neighbors. none of that even came close to happening in crimea. moreover, russia has pointed to america's decision to go into iraq as an example of western hypocrisy. now it is true that the iraq war was a subject of vigorous debate, not just around the world, but in the united states

as well. i participated in that debate, and i opposed our military intervention there, but even in iraq america sought to work within the international system. we did not claim or annex iraq's territory. we did not grab its resources for other own gain. instead, we ended our war and left iraq to its people in a fully sovereign iraqi state that can make decisions about its own future. of course, neither the united states nor europe are perfect in adherence to our ideals. nor do we claim to be the sole arbitor of what is right or wrong in the world. we are human, after all, and we

face difficult decisions about how to exercise our power, but part of what makes us difference is we welcome criticism, just as we welcome the responsibilities that come with global leadersh leadership. we look to the east and the south and see nations poised to play a growing role on the world stage, and we consider that a good thing. it reflects the same diversity that makes us stronger as a nation, and forces integration and cooperation that europe has advanced for decades. in a world of challenges that are increasingly global, all of us have an interest in nations stepping forward to play their part, to bear their share of the burden, and to uphold international norms. so our approach stands in stark

contrast to the arguments coming out of russia these days. it is absurd to suggest as a steady drum beat of russian voices do that america is some how conspiring with fascists inside of ukraine for failing to respect the russian people. my grandfather served in paton's army just as many of your fathers and grandfathers fought against fascism. we americans remember well the unimaginable sacrifices made by the russian people in world war ii, and we have honored those sacrifices. since the end of the cold war we have worked with russia under successive administrations to build ties of culture and commerce and international community, not as a favor to russia but because it was in our national interests. together we've secured nuclear materials from terrorists, we

welcomed russia into the g-8 and the world trade organization. from the reduction of nuclear arms to the elimination of syria's chemical weapons we believe the wor world has benefd when russia chooses to cooperate to operate on the base of mutual respect. so america and the world and europe has an interest in a strong and responsible russia, not a weak one. we want the russian people to live in security, prosperity, and dignity like everyone else, proud of their own history, but that does not mean that russia can run roughshod over its neighbors. just because russia has a deep history with ukraine does not mean that it should be able to dictate ukraine's future. no amount of propaganda can make

right something that the world knows is wrong. in the end every society must chart it's own course. america's path or europe's path is not the only ways to reach freedom and justice, but on the fundamental principle that is at stake here the ability of nations and people hs to make their own choices, there can be no going back. it's not america that filled the maidan with protesters. it was ukrainians. no foreign forces compelled the citizens of t use nis and tripoli to rise up, they did so on their own.

from the burmese parliamentarian pursuing reform and young leaders fighting corruption and intolerance in africa we see something irreducible that something all of us share as human beings, perseverance in the face of violence and oppression, and we'll ultimately overcome. for the young people here today i know it may seem easy to see these events removed from our lives, remote from our daily routines, distant from concerns closer to home. i recognize that both in the united states and much of europe there is more than enough to worry about in the affairs of our own countries there will

always be voices that say what happens in the wider world is not our concern nor our responsibility, but we must never forget that we are heirs to a struggle for freedom. our democracy, our individual opportunity only exist because those who came before us had the wisdom and the courage to recognize that ideals will only endure if we see our self-interest in the success of other peoples and other nations. now is not the time for bluster. the situation in ukraine, like crises in many parts of the world, does not have easy answers nor a military solution, but at this moment we must meet the challenge to our ideals, to

our very international order with strength and conviction. and it is you, the young people of europe, young people like laura, who will help decide which way the currents of our history will flow. do not think for a moment that your own freedom, your own prosperity, that your own moral imagination is bound by the limits of your community or ethnicity, or even your country. you're bigger than that. you can help us to choose a better history. that's what europe tells us. that's what the american experience is all about.

i say this as the president of a country that looked to europe for the values that are written into our founding documents, and which spilled blood to insure that those values could endure on these shores. i also say this as the son of a kenyan whose grandfather was a cook for the british, and as a person who once lived in indonesia as an emerged from colonialism. the ideals that unite us matter equally to the young people of boston or brussels or jakarta, or nairobi, or krakow or kiev. in the end the success of our ideals come down to us, including the example of our own lives, our own societies. we know that there will always

be intolerance, but instead of fearing the immigrant we can welcome them. we can insist on policies that assist the many, not just the few. that an age of globalization and dizzying change opens the door of opportunity to the marginalized, not just the privileged few. instead of targeting our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters, we can use the laws to protect theirs rights. instead of defining ourselves to opposition to others we can affirm the aspirations that we hold in common. that's what will make america strong. that's what will make europe strong. that's what makes us who we are. just as we meet our responsibilities as individuals, we must be prepared to meet them as nations because we live in a

world in which our ideals are going to be challenges again and again by forces that would brag us back in the conflict or corruption. we can't count on others to rise to meet those tests. the policies of your government, the principles of your european union will make a critical difference in whether or not the international order that so many generations before you have strived to create, continues to move forward or whether it retreats. that's the question we all must answer. what kind of europe, what kind of america, what kind of world will we leave behind? i believe that if we hold firm

to our principles and our willing to back our beliefs with courage and resolve, then hope will ultimately overcome fear, and freedom will continue to triumph over tyranny. because that is what forever stirs in the human heart. thank you very much. [applause] >> it is is now 153 east coast time the president speaking from brussels, belgium, oh what was billed as a speech. the president telling those gathered that they're heirs t oa struggle to freedom. and saying that now is not the

time for bluster. jennifer glasse is in sevastopol in crimea. it is 8:00 in the evening. any words that the president said albeit it's aimed at many of those who once stood on the square in kiev, any sense that that message was carried in crimea? >> it will be on television here but everything is filtered through russian television, and even though the president refuted claims that people have made here, that kosovo is proof of what happened here, that is likely to fall on deaf ears. many people have said they don't care what the outside world thinks, they had a democratic vote, they stood by it, and president obama is talking about ideals, and saying that the answers--that there are no easy answers but no military solutions here, and promising russia more sanctions, nor pressure especially if they try

to move into eastern ukraine, saying they will stay steadfast. the democratic ideals of europe hard won after world war ii should be held fast here. >> reminding the audiences of the sacrifices made during world war i and world war ii, and then reminding those gathered that after world war ii with that marshall plan europe had to be rebuilt, which seemed to be the bus there's obuttress of his art the crisis must be resolved democratic not militarily. >> yes, that there should be monitors here and constitutional reform, free and fair elections in ukraine, and they've been trying to get the government in kiev and the government in moscow to speak to each other.

that he promised that russian isolation will deepen and the standing in the european community will increase if he continues along this course. >> thank you, jennifer glasse. mike viqueira is in belgium where it is approximately 7:00 in the evening. the president continuing on thinks theme throughout his trip throughout europe is that might does not make right. >> well, and you're absolutely right. this is one of those trademark president obama speeches where he tries to take a step back and talk about a big issue, providing historical context, laying down the predicate why action is needed, why things need to change, and trying to be on the side of the angels speaking to a group of young people. you saw the frequent cut aways of the audience here in brussels. talking about the future, but also reminding them by invoking

everyone some of the forerunners of democratic thought to the american constitution when he said that the consent of the governor is required. all men are created equal. invoking the past decades of russia in europe, the past decade of struggle after the post-war era that resulted in the european union that symbolized and brought to life by the buildings that you see around us, and trying to make the case, i don't think he was speaking to vladimir putin. i don't think he was speaking to russians. i think he was speaking to europeans. europeans are those on the precipice of trying to decide whether or not economic sanctions of the type that president obama advocating, he's trying to bring european leaders on board with are, indeed, necessary and whether or not this moment in time, this moment in history is important enough to sacrifice the economic progress that is finally being made. you heard the president mention it after the worst economic recession of most of our

lifetime. the president is certainly going for wider, broader themes, invoking a historic perspective as he adds further vigilance against russia and further isolates russia if it continues on the path that it's on. >> mike viqueira following the president throughout his six-day tour through europe. 7:07:00 in brussels, belgium, 8:00 in sevastopl where we always follow jennifer glasse. she has followed this since november. reminding those gathered that now is not the time for bluster, might does not make right, and that there will be more sanctions against russia if the escalation in ukraine continue.

perspectives on every issue. al jazeera america. >> hello, welcome to the news hour. the top stories from around the world. >> our freedom isn't free. >> u.s. president barack obama tells europe to spend more on energy and defense in the light of the crisis in ukraine. kenya orders thousands of somali refugees to move from cities to camps in a bid to stop terrorist attacks. plucked alive from a massive mudslide