NATO Assembles Troops To Counter Russian Aggression In Ukraine

At a NATO summit in Wales on Friday, officials agreed to create a massive rapid response force that will be prepared to respond to Russian aggression in the Ukraine.

According to NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the troops, which number in the thousands, will be able to respond to threats quickly. They will be set up in the next few days in territories surrounding Ukraine and Russia to ensure the Kremlin does not attempt to strong-arm other territories to gain power over the Ukraine.

Rasmussen said at the conference that Russia is "attacking" its neighbor Ukraine. Several top NATO leaders, including the U.S., Germany, Great Britain, Italy, and France met with Ukraine during the summit and agreed that Russia should face added sanctions for its aggressive actions toward the Ukraine.

"The leaders reiterated their condemnation of Russia's continued flagrant vioaltion of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and agreed on the need for Russia to face increased costs for its actions,'' the White House said in a statement.

The NATO summit comes as peace talks between Russia, Ukraine and pro-Russia rebels get under way in Minsk, Belarus. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said he is practicing "careful optimism" in relation to the peace talks.

On Twitter on Friday, pro-Russia rebels announced they had signed a cease-fire with the Ukraine that is set to begin at noon eastern time.

Another topic addressed at the NATO summit included the alliance's dedication to stopping the Islamic State terror group in Iraq. Rasmussen said that he's "sure that if the Iraqi government were to forward a request for NATO assistance, that would be considered seriously by NATO allies."