President Obama this morning issued a statement on the unfolding situation in Egypt and called for an end to violence.

"The United States strongly condemns the steps that have been taken by Egypt’s interim government and security forces," he said. "We deplore violence against civilians. We support universal rights essential to human dignity, including the right to peaceful protest. We oppose the pursuit of martial law, which denies those rights to citizens under the principle that security trumps individual freedom, or that might makes right. And today the United States extends its condolences to the families of those who were killed and those who were wounded."

The President announced that he is canceling the biannual joint military training exercise that U.S. forces hold with Egyptian counterparts and weighing the implications of the Egyptian interim government's actions as the United States considers further steps that we may take. 

"The Egyptian people deserve better than what we’ve seen," he said. 

Watch video of President Obama's statement here: 

Listen to the audio of the President's statement here: