meantime, secretary of state john kerry announced a few hours ago that core coalition agreed to develop a plan to fight isis. secretary kerry said the plan will not include boots on the ground. perth alexander joins us live from the white house as we await the news conference with the president. as i understand the president will make an opening statement and take questions. let's focus on the remarks made by secretary kerry regarding the core coalition. >> that's what we're focussed on now. the coalition that has been formed on the sideline taking place in whales right now. it would include about 10 or nine other nations in addition to the u.s. this core group among them c cana canada, germany, and turkey. they're acknowledging the remarks before the meeting there's more work to be done between the two countries.

when it comes to intelligence sharing on the topic of isis. specifically about the foreign fighters who have been going between through turkey en route to syria recently. but specifically to the effort of the intention of the core coalition. it appears that the desire it would basically be an effort to bolster allies in the ground in iraq and syria. it would not be boots on the ground from the u.s. it would be fully in support of iraqi security forces in iraq at the kurdish peshmerga. in syria it would be in support of more moderate rebel groups who oppose bashar assad. there's clearly been criticism of lack of movement toward air strikes. it appears the u.s. would likely be in support of air strikes if those were to take place as a result of this core coalition. but would not, again, be

involved in any ground troop efforts. >> outside of draft core group of nations, defense secretary chuck hagel has pointed out in his words that the challenge is more than a military solution regarding isil. >> yeah. that's right. he acknowledged that everyone is part of this core coalition is familiar with, in his words, the extended challenges that this represents. the president made it clear our reach is long but he said we know it could be a long fight. the question at this time is how involved in any such fight the u.s. would be. those are the questions the president is going to get. ered with a short time from now. the nato summit which was formed as an effort to talk about post 2014 afghanistan has been forced to address two major regions of conflict right now. the one in eastern ukraine with russia and also the one taking place right now in iraq and syria. where western forces are trying to decide what they need to do

to protect themselves and prevent isis from moving forward. in the words of john kerry it wouldn't be an effort of containment. the goal would be destroy isis. >> and the other crisis at the forefront is the breaking news of ukraine that other major issue. the cease-fire between pro-russian forces and government forces is supposed to take effect right now. we've been seeing explosions and hearing gunfire in the past hour. keir simmons joins us live in mariupol shehe's been witnessin thi this. >> that's right, tamron. we're right by the front line between the ukrainian forces the pro-russians who are a little way along the road here. right through the morning there

have been explosions just across the country side there. thunderous explosions trt pro-russians. now you can hear there is silence. as the cease-fire came into effect two ukrainian tanks came here and drove slowly heading out. we'll take you across to slow there are ukrainian forces here hidden across the side of the road. you can see them with this armored personnel carrier relaxing, really. standing guard. but at the same time you can see from their posture they have been told there's a cease-fire. we have spoken to them. we asked them whether we think the cease-fire will hold. and he might be surprised to know having been engaged in a vicious battle with the pro-russians they said they don't believe in it. they said they don't believe the russians can be trusted.

they have, it appears, managed to hold the crucial city of mariupol. it will appear as if the pro-russians were trying to force their way through even though the cease-fire negotiations were taking place. they managed to do this. the ukrainian check point is still in place. >> okay. as we know at the nato summit, western countries have been working to level further sanctions against russia here. as you pointed out, at least since the announcement of the cease-fire, you -- and for clarification, you haven't seen an ongoing back and forth since then? z>> >>. >> that's right. exactly right. since the announcement of the cease-fire we had an alarm fire but not the artillery. the relentless barrage of artillery fire we were watching

with black smoke and billowing across the country side here and one attack after another. it was a few hours ago. as you can hear for yourself, that has completely stopped. there was a fighting in the city of donetsk which is a few hours away. we don't know whether it has burned down, but it does look as if on the ukrainian side and the pro-russian side here, at least, they are adhering to the cea cease-fi cease-fir cease-fire. >> thank you very much. thank you from the latest, again, as the president's news conference is expected to start around 11: 30s eastern time. we'll bring you the news conference as soon as it starts. turning to the passing of joan rivers. tributing are pouring in for a women so many are describing as a comedy trailblazer. joan rivers will be laid to rest

on sunday with a private invitation only funeral. many paying tribute to her. with joan being the first woman to host a late night talk show after her getting her start on the tonight show. it was fitting that the current late night tv host, including jimmy fallon deliver tributes to her. >> she's a fearless -- she would come out and say what you were thinking. but you wouldn't say it. you would stop but she wouldn't. she would just say it. and lot of people thought the humor was mean but she did it because she wanted to take everyone laugh. she could take a joke just as easily as she could dish it. a class act. >> funny today as she was when she got into showbiz. talk about guts. she would come out here and sit in the chair and say some things that were unbelievable. >> besides being a pioneer for women in comedy, for everyone in comedy. joan was a lucky person. she loved her job so much she never wanted to stop. she didn't have to stop.

she was so great at it. appearing on the "today" show this morning, comedian cathy griffin also discussed what rivers' career meant for other women in comedy and her work ethic. >> i don't know if you know this. she was scheduled to do 15 shows in the u.k. in october. >> wow. >> i don't know any comedian living or dead that could be doing three television shows, books, and then have a global reach. >> ruichard lui is outside joans home. we see the memorial behind you. >> good day to you. talking about those who remember her. if you look at imdb over 300 credits playing herself as an actress. another data point of how much she did throughout her lifetime. and here people are celebrating that today. this is the memorial. i want to show you this here. thank you for making us laugh even when we felt we couldn't. you knew how to make the world smile. i felt you were always with me

in the living room tv. now you're always in my heart. you will be missed. paul and eric. those are just some of the tributes that enter late out here. probably about two or three dozen that have been laid out here. melissa rivers just left about 10 minutes ago. it's a difficult time for her. she rushed out as we saw her moments ago among a lot of game r camerons. and grandson cooper was here. it looks like melissa rivers is going throughout her day. the funeral services will be at temple emanuel. it's only three blocks away from here. the one that stands out clearly is the one that comes from melissa herself. she said yesterday my mother's greatest joy in life was to make people laugh. that's difficult to do right now. i know, her final wish would be that we return to laughing. that is certainly something that she stood for. >> richard, thank you. joining me now is judy gold. a close friend of joan's who

collaborated with her many times over the years and consider joan a mentor. judy, thank you for joining us. >> caller: thank you for having me. >> obviously our thoughts are with joan's family and friends, like you, who are reflecting on her life. it's interesting how many people. kathy griffin and others like yourself considered her a mentor. what did she bring to your life and experience? >> i think there's a lot of us. joan took the time to look you in the eye and ask about you. she didn't want to talk about herself. every time i would say, joan, do you have any idea what you have done? and how beloved you are? and she would say forget it, forget it. and, you know, she was always there with something. really wise advice and, you

know, it's crazy. because i think about, you know, all the comics that do stand up comedy because of joan. i felt like i never quit because of joan. she never gave up. >> she said she was self-deep candidating a lot of those point out. how she remained relevant. fashion police. i read a quote saying she could talk about jackie o to j-lo. she said ask me about kanye west. there was not one level of pop culture that open caescaped he.e >> she was on the pulse of everything. stuff i didn't pay attention to.

last time i saw her was july 5th. and i was handling out with her between her show and she said let's do a vine video. i'm like what's vine in i had no idea. and there she is doing the vine videos. she just was so ahead of you. she was ahead of you with the jokes. you know, she got the joke before you did. she said before you were to think about it. she was a lady. that's the thing. you think she's brash and -- >> she had a lot of glamour in her presentation and appearance. i'm sure you have heard the excerpt from her latest book she talked about her funeral and how she would want to have it all go down in a valentino gown with a fan broing her hair like beyoncè. in looking at her life she looked at it in this energetic way. it's incredible. >> right.

and she always beat us to it. that's the thing. 81 years old and sharp as a whip. and wrote every day. she didn't care where she performed. if there were people she showed up. and she purchased performed ong night. she had booked two shows before she knew she was getting married. she fulfilled the gigs. >> her worth ethic is tremendous. thank you so much, judy. our thoughts are with you and those so close to joan rivers. coming up we're awaiting president obama's news conference as mentioned. it's scheduled for 11: 30 eastern time. secretary of state john kerry warned it could take years to destroy isis. we'll hear more from the president on the core coalition of nations joining in the effort. when it starts we'll bring it to you. plus. arrived several hours ago on u.s. soil. the third american to be

infected with ebola in africa is now being treated in nebraska. we'll have the latest there. plus, the unemployment rate drops to the lowest number in eighth months. analysts are not happy. we'll break down the new numbers and take a look how it's impacting wall street. you can join our conversation online. you can find me on "newsnation" and find me on twitter, facebook, and instagram under my name. everybody knows that. well, did you know you that former pro football player ickey woods will celebrate almost anything? unh-uh. number 44... whoooo! forty-four, that's me! get some cold cuts... get some cold cuts... get some cold cuts! whooo! gimme some! geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. whoo! forty-four ladies, that's me! whoo...gonna get some cold cuts today! ♪ eenie. meenie. miney. go.

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welcome back. the third american to contract the ebola virus in west africa arrived in the united states this morning. 51-year-old rick sacra will be treated in special isolation unit in nebraska. had he won't have access to zmapp. the experimental drug use to treat his two colleagues. because the supply has run out.

officials at the nebraska medical center said they accepted dr. sacra at the request of the state department. given the scale of the outbreak it's important that more than one hospital be able to handle ebola patients. >> it seemed likely by someone getting infected over there and being expatrioted over here or a traveler might get off the airplane. it's likely we'll continue to see people here. they want to test the capacity of different places and have more than one facility on call and able to handle a patient like this. >> we are in omaha with the latest. his wife said her husband was clearly sick but in good spirits and walked on to the plane. what more can you tell us about his treatment there? >> good morning. the doctor arrived early. ahead of schedule. he's being evaluated right now as doctors try to figure out the

course of treatment here. as you mentioned, there is no more of the zmapp. the drug given to the two other american missionary who were treated in atlanta earlier this summer. it's not as simple as going to the store. the company said it's going take some time possibly months to make more of the drug. so instead doctors here are considering using a blood serum from a patient who survived ebola to treat the doctor or possibly anti-virals that up to this point have only been used to treat primates. for the moment, it is supportive care. they need to make sure he's hydrated, maintain his blood pressure, temperature, things like that. let's talk about this isolation unit. it's separate from the rest of the hospital. it has its own air filtration system. negative air pressure. it's the largest in the country with ten beds. it's the first time a patient is being treat there had. it was activated a couple of years ago when they thought they were going to be receiving someone with ebola.

it was malaria. it's the true test of the isolation unit. they said it's safe and secure. they have a team of 35 medical personnel. they are told they'll be protected. the risk of transmitting ebola is minimal to zer reright now. there's a video conference system. hopefully he'll be able to speak with and take a look at his family who are obviously very anxious for his arrival here. we're expecting to get update on his condition. there's a press conference being held here in less than an hour. >> i know joul update us on the latest information. thank you so much. as mentioned, we are just minutes away from president obama's news conference from whales. where he is expected to talk about the situation in ukraine and the fight against isis. the president has been meeting with the president of turkey and told him isis was a threat to

the entire world. turkey being a key ally in this core coalition that has been formed. we'll bring you the latest from the news conference as soon as it begins. plus, some other headlines to bring you the jobs report for august is out. we'll have the latest just ahead. and the georgia man who authorities say purposely left his child in a hot car to die could face the death penalty. we'll have an update on the grand jury indictment that includes eight new counts. we'll be right back. [ hoof beats ] i wish... please, please, please, please, please. [ male announcer ] the wish we wish above all...is health. so we quit selling cigarettes in our cvs pharmacies. expanded minuteclinic, for walk-in medical care. and created programs that encourage people to take their medications regularly. introducing cvs health. a new purpose. a new promise... to help all those wishes come true. cvs health. because health is everything. cvs health.

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department is out today with the monthly jobs report. employers added 142,000 jobs in augusten about nation's unemployment rate fell slightly. it's the lowest since december. the dow is down a small bit 10 points. nasdaq and s&p down. joining me now is head of global strategy and columnist for slate magazine. this number has ruled for so long. as we wait the news conference we know the president's foreign policy decisions and the crisis that are ongoing right now is the focus. so this headline the good and the bad of this jobs report. in a sense, gets lost. >> yeah. and it's still been the strongest for job creation and the strongest periods statistically for many years. i think for a decade if you added up through in the year. it's clear many people are not

experiencing it as a robust, you know, good economy and certainly the foreign policy issues of the past couple of months have sort of replaced the primary anxiety about where things are going economically and globally. people are still inspite of the fact that, yes, it wasn't a great month but it's been a detail year. people are not feeling good about the state of tfof the uni the nation, and the toufuture. you can remember the number one subject in 2012 presidential election. the economy is improved to the point where 14,000 jobs becomes a disappointing number. we wouldn't be saying that in obama's first term. >> it's clear that everything we can look at statistic scli ever

ical -- statistically and economically. it's getting more detail. there are a lot of issues. we talked about them. obviously we don't have time to get into them now from wage growth to the nature of the job. so these are all out there. but, you know, that's been true for 20 or 30 years. where are middle class wages going? it's clear that the statistical realities and how people feel about their own economy and future is a much more tenuous and anxious one. clearly, you know, the things that are going on globally while what goes on in eastern ukraine and northern iraq do not immediately impact how often cell phones and new smart watches apple consumer will buy next week, it shapes our climate of what is the world we're looking at. >> absolutely. thank you very much. and we have another life picture from whales where president obama is about to begin. that news conference several of days of meetings.

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ghosh. bobby, we were talking in the break. obviously, a lot of attention placed on turkey and the central role in the core coalition. we we need or for this to be successful you need arab nations. >> eventually you'll need boots on the ground. turkey is a good staging place for air operations. a large air base there. nato has a large presence there. there's got to be boots on the ground. the boots on the ground for it to work and have any credibility for it to be called a real coalition. the iraq military is there. the curds kurd are participatin. you need the jordanian, the saudis. >> peter, we were discussing what kerry said earlier regarding the plan it would not include boots on the ground knowing that's what the american public wants to hear.

still contrast that with the president's words on the threat that isis poses. >> as john kerry said before the met meetings today. he said it's a red line for everybody. specifically to boots on the ground. the possible for air strikes by this coalition seems like that may still be a little bit more likely. john kerry said that the strategy is becoming clear or at least more clear by the day. we'll wait to hear if president obama speaks more specifically about what the strategy is. responding to a lot of criticism he faced in recent days after suggesting that the administration did not yet have a strategy specifically for confronting isis in syria. what the conflict that exist and the challenge that presented itself for the administration is not too many days ago we heard from top cabinet members and

secretary hagel, the chairman of the joint chiefs martin dempsey it was, in effect, it was a battle. it was isis was a group like none we had ever seen before. it was the lack of urgency that the americans heard from the president that we didn't have the strategy. as nato wraps up they'll be waiting to hear from him. >> and, mark, i think some would believe that we saw more clarity with the president and prime minister david cameron. some of the better glimpse of a strategy with words from the leaders. >> yeah, i think what tripped up the president is the mixed messages. he ends up going from a brief news conference where she talks about destroying and degrading is isis. when you look at the transcript of the president's remarks it's easy to know the concept he was

talking about degrading and destroying isis was a long-term goal and a manageable problem in the short run in the current time. those become sount bytes. one of the most interesting thing is is for president obama to say what he's doing. one of the big challenges is that this is an evolving very complex problem. and so sometimes when you're in the midst of it, the making of the sauce isn't that pretty. that's been true just from the watching the rhetoric and the verbal gymnastics. >> ayman, isis controls large part of eastern syria and northern iraq. we know reconnoissance flights have been taking place in search ever isis targets here. militarily, have the air strikes accomplished what the administration hoped? >> it's hard to know. we don't know their objectives publicly. if it was to destroy isis,

clearly not. if it was to give the peshmerga the upper hand to try to get the iraqi army to fill in the open areas in places where it's happening. that's happening. that is a successful operation. what is the stated objective in the long-term. it's an opportunity for the administration to kill two birds with one stone. if they decide to get rid of isis they can prop up the syrian moderate opposition to fill in the vacancy once isis moves out. by doing so bring in another objective is to topple assad regime. >> andobby, you've heard a couple of commentators ask secretary kerry of this. being in a joint mission with

syria without being on syria's side. something the administration quickly cuts off at the head. saying we're not consorting with syria in any way here an assad regime. >> the administration is right to do that. it's not the same thing. it's a complication that we have to fight two different monsters in the same battle ground but we're not picking sides with one. it's like if we decided the middle of the second world war 1944, we decided we were going to tell hitler, we're going to fight alongside you against the communists. it's not how we're going play out. both the fights have to be fought. it's difficult. what the president's challenge immediately is so far here's been communicating to the american public saying no boots on the ground. i'm not taking this country or you into another war. he's more recently been communicating with his european partners, which we'll hear about hopefully today which what is can we do? the next level of challenge to communicate with the arab world

saying you have to come alone. the monster, there is terroristing your countries your people. >> how hard of a sell is that? >> it's not a very hard sell. it's easier than some of the things he's had to sell before. this is closer, if you want to have a parallel. this is closer to the first gulf war. we had to bring together an arab coalition against saddam hussein. the threat was clear. it was taken over the air country. the threat here is very clear. you have a terrorist group killing tens of thousands. >> mark, since bobby pointed out american public and how they will view the president's remarks today. the concern of a mission creep or boots on the ground. you have kay hagan and other democrats saying the president needs to be decisive here. nelson was on saying he would support any military action that the felt was necessary here. you is a new poll coming outs. the president will be live on

meet the press with chuck todd on sunday as well. how it's playing out domestically in the tight races where the midterm is being factored in on top of the international threat. >> there's starting ton a consensus there needs to be action down. cay hagan and her recent debate pretty much demanded that. but what we haven't heard is here is the action that i necessarily want or the action that i would vote for. that's a trickier situation. it's being consistent they want action. when you look at polls, tamron, it thoughs that it's an american public that is resistant to intervention. it will be interesting to see in the nbc wall street journal poll coming out next week whether or not the attitudes have changed. whether the threat of isis and including the gruesome death of two americans changed attitudes about united states being more

involved in foreign affairs or less. but all we can go with is the polling we've seen so far. it's a public that is reluctant to intervention. that's why you've heard john kerry and other americans end up saying we're not putting boots on the ground. the public reluctant to enter the crisis. we heard a man from united states who joined or wanted to join isis in their battle over a hundred or so americans are believed to be fighting with isis in syria. when so you one track of people who might say we don't want any involvement. when you see headlines like americans are joining isis and continued threat. i think many people are on the fence of what is decisive action and what is needed? >> and it goes to the question of what is the short term and long-term solution to the problem. the long-term solution is an ideological. there's a mag innocent in the region that is attracting people

from as far as north carolina or from europe or anywhere. at the end of the day, you need to find a way to dry up the reservoir the ideology that is attracting so many people. it happens with major reforms in the arab world not in the u.s. it doesn't happen with boots. it happens with good governance, a system of social justice. all kinds of ideals we appreciate in the country and what people might have fought for in the arab spring. they have to take root in the part of the arab world. at the end of the day, there are extremists in this country. there are people who have bad ideas in this country. they're marginalized and put away from the main stream part of society. the ideology, perhaps, is going to exist in the arab world. how do you marginalize it. >> we're going to take a quick break. we'll return with more of "newsnation" and the breaking news a we await the president's news conference. [ male announcer ] some people

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breaking news the pentagon confirmed that the leader of al shabaab was killed in somalia. security source tells nbc news nine hell fire missiles and 500-pound guided bombs were used to strike in that. and al shabaab source said he was among 11 milt assistants killed. he's been linked to last september's shopping mall attack that left 67 people dead in kenya. we continue to following the news out of wales. let's start with ayman regarding the conformation from the pentagon. al shabaab was kilted in the air strike in somalia. >> significant development for the u.s. on a few different fronts. of course strategically. they're starting to carry cross border attacks in kenya. a major ideological draw for people in the region. they're not a transnational

terrorist organization. they didn't have the capabilities of isis or al qaeda in other part of africa. they had been a major force for destabilizing the horn of africa. it's a symbolic one. it does reintegrate some of the messages we have been hearing from the administration which is that the hand of american justice is long and it will reach whoever whenever no matter how long it takes. that's something they've been saying about the leadership of eye a sense those behind the killings of james foley. >> it's a reminder as well. i think it happens often with headlines not to focus on one move or one country as we're talking about isis and syria here now within the blink of an eye or brought back to somalia. and the threats there. >> it's a reminder it's an international problem and needs an international solution. and air power is useful and can play ai pivotal role.

you need local participation. >> let me bring in mark murray. this ability or the hope of bringing in this core coalition and eventually more support from arab nations as bobby pointed out is a test certainly for this president. again, in his ability to bring in an international group as a leader here, mark. >> yeah. and, you know, the big reason why is the united states and the obama administration doesn't want it to be seen as the united states going war again in the arab world. it needs to be boots on the ground coming from arab nation. they're taking the lead. we saw the dynamic play out in libya. it was an example of united states leading behind. it's the quote got used to describe that. of course, what enended up occurring in libya gadhafi was taken down it created a vacuum. whether it's al shabaab or isis

or other groups the situation is so much instability in africa, in the middle east right now with different organizations, different ideologies that it is very difficult situation where this isn't just the united states going after al qaeda, which was the situation from 2001 all the way to 2004. this is a much more complex situation. >> let me bring in nbc chief foreign affair s correspondent andrea micheltchell. what else did kerry say that might have laid the ground work? >> i think the president will react immediately to the fact there is a reported cease-fire in ukraine after five months of fighting, and that hostages and prisoners are supposed to be exchanged on saturday, tomorrow. this is a big break through, if it holds. also, nato today decided to deploy a 4,000-person expedition

their force in eastern europe along the nato borders. it's another signal to putin. they have not made announcements about more sanctions against russia. that's to come. of course, he'll be asked questions about isis and no boots on the ground, red line, i'm told by people traveling with secretary kerry he was restating what has been the existing policy. you see the presidents remarks are being put on the podium there in wales. the questions will be asked by the white house press corps. before the president flies home after the nato meeting. the meeting where they talked about ebola and other threats to the world and region in west africa and the threats that international terrorism, principally, isis, now pose to europe and the american homeland but also more immediately the need to create a counter weight against isis. a coalition that secretaries kerry and hagel are going to be flying off to try to build in the middle east.

they say they have achieved. i think the president will be announcing that as well. >> absolutely. to your point on the front of ukraine and the president will be able to clearly present a break in what has been months of fighting and months of concern of what to do about vladimir putin, what to do next, but the major issue in these questions -- oh, the president is walking out now. let's listen in, andrea. >> great friends, prime minister cameron and his entire team for hosting this nato summit and making it such a success. and i want to thank the people of newport and cardiff, the people of wales for welcoming me and my delegation so warmly. it's a great honor to be the first sitting u.s. president to visit wales. we've met at a time of transition and a time of testing. after more than a decade, nato's combat mission in afghanistan is

coming to an end. russia's aggression against ukraine threatens our vision of a europe that is whole, free and at peace. in the middle east, the terrorist threat from isil poses a growing danger. here at this summit, our alliance is some of the will, the resources and the capabilities to meet all of these challenges. first and foremost, we have reaffirmed the central mission of the alliance. article 5 enshrines our solemn duty to each other. an armed attack against one shall be considered an attack against them all. this is a binding treaty obligation. it is nonnegotiable. and here in wales we've left absolutely no doubt. we will defend every ally. second, we agree to be resolute in reassuring our allies in eastern europe. increased nato air patrols over the baltics will continue.

rotations of additional forces throughout eastern europe for training and exercises will continue. naval patrols in the black sea will continue. and all 28 nato nations agree to contribute to all of these measures for as long as necessary. third, to ensure that nato remains prepared for any contingency, we agreed to a new readiness action plan. the alliance will update its defense planning. we will create a new highly ready rapid response force that can be deployed an a very short notice. we'll increase nato's presence in central and eastern europe with additional equipment, training, exercises and troop rotations. and the $1 billion initiative that i announced in warsaw will be a strong and ongoing u.s. contribution to this plan. fourth, all 28 nato nations have pledged to increase their investments in defense and to

move toward investing 2% of their gdp in our collective security. these resources will help nato invest in critical capabilities, including intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and missile defense. and this commitment makes clear that nato will not be complacent. our alliance will reverse the decline of defense spending and rise to meet the challenges that we face in the 21st century. fifth, our alliance is fully united in support of ukraine's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and its right to defend itself. to back up this commitment, all 28 nato allies will now provide security assistance to ukraine. this includes nonlethal support to the ukrainian military, like body armor, fuel and medical care for wounded ukrainian troops, as well as assistance to help modernize ukrainian forces, including logistics and command

and control. here in wales we also sent a strong message to russia that actions have consequences. today the united states and europe are finalizing measures to deepen and broaden our sanctions across russia's financial, energy and defense sectors. at the same time, we strongly support president poroshenko's efforts to pursue a peaceful resolution to the conflict in his country. the cease-fire announced today can advance that goal but only if there is follow-through on the ground. pro-russian separatists must keep their commitments and russia must stop its violations of ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. beyond europe, we pay tribute to all those from our isaf mission, including more than 2200 americans who have given their lives for our security in afghanistan. nato's combat mission ends in three months and we are prepared to transition to a new mission focused on training, advising

and assisting afghan security forces? both presidential candidates have pledged to sign the bilateral security agreement that would be the foundation of our continued cooperation. but as we all know, the outcome of the recent election must be resolved. so we continue to urge the two presidential candidates to make the compromises that are necessary so afghans can move forward together and form a sovereign eunited and democratic nation. finally, we reaffirm the door to nato membership remains open to nations who can meet our high standards. we agree to expand the partnership that makes nato the hub of global security. we're launching a new effort with our closest partners, including many that have served with us in afghanistan to make sure our forces continue to operate together. and will create a new initiative to help countries build their defense capabilities. starting with georgia, moldova,

jordan and libya. i also leave here confident that nato allies and partners are prepared to join in a broad international effort to combat the threat posed by isil. already, allies have joined us in iraq, where we have stopped isil's advances. we've equipped our iraqi partners and helped them go on offense. nato has agreed to play a role in providing security and humanitarian assistance to those who are on the front lines. key nato allies stand ready to confront this terrorist threat through military intelligence and law enforcement as well as diplomatic efforts. and secretary kerry will now transfer travel to the region to continue the broad-based coalition that will enable us to degrade and ultimately destroy isil. taken together, the progress we've achieved in wales makes it clear our alliance will continue to do whatever is necessary to ensure our collective defense and to protect our citizens.

so with that, let me take a few questions. i'll start with julie pace of the associated press. >> thank you, mr. president. i wanted to go back to the situation in ukraine. if this cease-fire does take effect and appears to be holding, would you and your european counterparts back away from these sanctions that you say you've prepared or do you feel that it's important to levy these sanctions regardless of this cease-fire. if i could go back to the rapid response force. can you say specifically what u.s. contributions will be in terms of troop numbers and sghmt is it beyond the agreement that you announced or the proposal you announced in warsaw? >> with respect to the cease-fire agreement, obviously, we are hopeful, but based on past experience also skeptical that, in fact, the separatists will follow through and the russians will stop violating ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. so it has to be tested. and i know the europeans are

discussing at this point the final shape of their sanctions measures. it's my view that if you look at president poroshenko's plan, it is going to take some time to implement. and as a consequence, for us to move forward based on what's currently happening on the ground with sanctions, while acknowledging that if, in fact, the elements of the plan that has been signed are implemented, then those sanctions could be lifted is a more likely way for us to ensure that there's follow-through. but that's something that, obviously, we'll consult closely with our european partners to determine. i do want to point out, though, that the only reason that we're seeing this cease-fire at this moment is because of both the sanctions that have already been applied and the threat of further sanctions which are

having a real impact on the russian economy and have isolated russia in a way that we have not seen in a very long time. the path for russia to rejoin the community of nations that respects international law is still there. and we encourage president putin to take it. but the unity and the firmness that we've seen in the transatlantic alliance in supporting ukraine and applying sanctions has been, i think, a testimony to how seriously people take the basic principle that big countries can just stomp on little countries or force them to change their policy policies and give up their sovereignty. so i'm very pleased with the kind of work that's been done throughout this crisis in

ukraine, and i think u.s. leadership has been critical throughout that process. with respect to the rapid response forces and the readiness action plan that we put forward, in warsaw, i announced $1 billion in our initiative. a sizable portion of that will be devoted to implementing various aspects of this readiness action plan. we've already increased, obviously, rotations of personnel in the baltic states, for example. we have the air policing, we have the activities that are taking place in the baltic and the black sea, but this allows us to supplement it. it allows us to coordinate it and integrate it further with additional contributions from other partners. and what it sigfi