Tusk to Obama: "united we stand, divided we fall"

"We can see with full clarity that they are trying to divide Europe, as well as Europe and America. But when we are united, we will be able to put a stop to Russia's aggressive policy," said Donald Tusk during the meeting with president Obama in Washington on Monday. The president of the European Council pointed three, important topics for EU-US relations: the crisis in Ukraine and the role of Russia, threat of terrorism (Islamic State) in the context of Libya and the matter of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). The European leader was talking on behalf of the EU community and the US expressed joint "determination to maintain the sanctions on Russia until the Minsk agreement is fully implemented." "We are all committed to making sure that we uphold the basic principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity that have been threatened by Russian aggression.  We have been able to maintain strong unity with respect to sanctions,"  said President Obama. Tusk also referred to the threat of Islamic extremism in North Africa, arguing that Western countries must help Libya. What is more, the two presidents discussed TTIP negotiations, with Tusk saying that the bilateral FTA is not only about trade, but it raises the subject of "geopolitical security and transatlantic cooperation".