WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush said Wednesday the new Baghdad security plan "is beginning to take shape."

He told reporters at a press conference that he had spoken to Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, about the plan.

He said there's "good coordination" between Iraq and U.S. troops. "The operation to secure Baghdad is going to take time and there will be violence," said Bush, who stressed that there's a conscious effort to undermine the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

Bush said the violence is "disturbing to the iraqi people. But it reminds me of how important it is to help them succeed. If you think the violence is bad now, imagine what it would look like if we don't help them secure the city, the capital city of Baghdad."

Bush defended his decision to go with the current security plan, designed to bring peace to Baghdad and help end sectarian violence.

Bush said he and Petraeus talked about how Iraqi troops are being deployed and how the U.S. troops are being coordinated with them.