HE HAGUE President Obama vowed on Tuesday that the United States would use its m ilitary to come to the

defense of any NATO country that is threatened, sending a warning to the Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin, about the consequences of further aggression along the border with Eastern Europe. We will act in their defense against any threats, Mr. Obama said at a news confere nce in The Hague. That s what NATO is all about. When it comes to a potential milit ary response, that is defined by NATO membership. The president said the United States and other world powers rejected Russia s anne xation of Crimea, a region of Ukraine that voted to secede on March 16. But he a cknowledged that military force would not be used to return that region to Ukrai ne, which is not a member of NATO. Continue reading the main story Related Coverage President Obama spoke Monday at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam in front of the Rembrandt painting The Night Watch. Russia Is Ousted From Group of 8 by U.S. and AlliesMARCH 24, 2014 Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan at a news conference on sales taxes in To kyo last year. Listening Post: Obama Juggles Itinerary in Bid to Ease Tensions Between Two Asian AlliesMARCH 24, 2014 There s no expectation that they will be dislodged by force, Mr. Obama said of the R ussian forces who are in Crimea. He said the world was limited to trying to use legal and economic pressure against Russia. It would be dishonest to suggest that there is a simple solution to resolving what has already taken place in Crimea, he said. Photo President Obama with Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary general, and othe r world leaders and officials in The Hague on Tuesday. Credit Doug Mills/The New York Times But Mr. Obama quickly added, History has a funny way of moving in twists and turn s, and not just in a straight line. He also said his plan to let bulk telephone data records remain in the hands of communications companies would allow the government to effectively combat terror ism while eliminating concerns that law enforcement could abuse the database to invade people s privacy. A day after leading a meeting of the industrialized democratic nations known as the G-8 group until Monday, when members voted to oust Russia, Mr. Obama accused Mr. Putin of acting from a position of weakness in Russia s aggression against Uk raine. The fact that Russia felt compelled to go in militarily, less influence, not more. Mr. Obama said, indicates

The president said Russia s buildup of troops on its border with Ukraine appeared to be intimidation, while acknowledging that Russia has a right legally to have its troops on its own soil. But Mr. Obama rejected an assertion made during the 2012 presidential campaign b y Mitt Romney, his Republican challenger, that Russia would be the No. 1 geopolit ical foe for the United States in the years ahead. He said Russia was largely a t hreat to its neighbors, not to the United States. He said he continued to be more concerned about the prospect of a nuclear weapon

going off in Manhattan. On the telephone records, Mr. Obama said the proposal he intended to submit to C ongress ensures that the government is not in possession of this bulk data. He added, I m confident that it allows us to do what is necessary in order to deal with the dangers of a terrorist attack, and it does so in a way that deals with the concerns.