Ukraine to dominate Obama's Europe trip

The recent developments in Ukraine would dominate the multilateral and bilateral meetings of US President Barack Obama, when he travels to Europe next week, White House officials said.

Obama would be accompanied by his top foreign policy aides including Secretary of State John Kerry, during his week-long trip to The Hague, where he would attend the Nuclear Security Summit and a G-7 meeting.

From there, Obama goes to Rome and the Vatican where he will meet with Pope Francis before wrapping up the trip in Saudi Arabia.

"Over the course of this trip, the President will be mobilizing the international community and some of our most important partners in the world at a time when we're dealing with a number of important challenges," National Security Advisor Susan Rice told reporters at a White House news conference yesterday.

"These meetings obviously take place against the backdrop of Russia's intervention in Ukraine. What will be clear for the entire world to see is that Russia is increasingly isolated and that the United States is leading the international community in supporting the government of Ukraine and the people of Ukraine, and in imposing costs on Russia for its aggression against Ukraine," Rice said.

Noting that while the focus would be on Ukraine, the Obama Administration, she said, would continue to focus on its rebalance to Asia.

"After a period of tension, we will bring together two of our closest allies, the Republic of Korea and Japan, in a trilateral meeting that will send a powerful message about America's commitment to the security of Northeast Asia," she said.

"In addition, the President will meet with President Xi Jinping of China and that will advance our efforts to try to cooperate where we can with China on a range of issues from climate change to denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula," Rice said.

At the Hague, Obama would also have a bilateral meeting with the Chinese President Xi Jinping -- the first between the two leaders since the G20 Summit in September.