Obama, Meeting With Merkel on Ukraine Crisis, Keeps Military Aid Option Open

WASHINGTON — President Obama said he was weighing providing lethal weapons to Ukraine to help Kiev defend against Russia’s aggression if diplomatic efforts fail to defuse the tensions there, even as he said the United States remained united with Europe in maintaining sanctions against Moscow.

“The prospect for a military solution to this problem has always been low,” Mr. Obama said, given the extraordinarily powerful military that is at the disposal of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, and the length of Russia’s border with Ukraine.

Nevertheless, at a joint news conference with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany at the White House Monday, the president said it was clear a set of steep sanctions against Russia “has not yet dissuaded Mr. Putin from following the course that he is on.” He said that had prompted him to ask his team to “look at all options,” including providing an array of defensive weapons to bolster Ukraine’s forces.

“I have not made a decision about that yet,” Mr. Obama said.

Most European countries, including Germany and France, oppose sending arms, arguing that doing so would only make the conflict worse.

“We continue to pursue a diplomatic solution, although we have suffered a lot of setbacks,” Ms. Merkel said. “I’ve always said I don’t see a military solution to this conflict.”

The issue has threatened to cleave what has until now been a united front among the United States and its European allies over how to respond to the Ukrainian conflict, which has been stoked by a steady supply of weapons and soldiers from Russia.

Many European capitals share Washington’s distrust of Mr. Putin, but continue to hope that the pressure of economic sanctions will lead him to accept some sort of settlement.

Despite their possible differences on weapons, Mr. Obama and Ms. Merkel worked to project a unified front.

“Russian aggression has only reinforced the unity between the United States, Germany and other European allies,” the president said. “There’s going to continue to be a strong, unified response between the United States and Europe — that’s not going to change.”

The two leaders spoke after European foreign ministers agreed to postpone imposing a new round of sanctions against Russia, hoping to avert a rift with the United States over sending arms and to nudge forward so far fruitless talks with Moscow.  Read More at NYTimes

• Obama, Meeting With Merkel on Ukraine Crisis, Keeps Military Aid Option Open