(New York Post) U.S. President Barack Obama signaled on Monday he will wait for the results of high-stakes talks on Ukraine before deciding whether to arm the Kiev government, saying diplomacy and sanctions remain his preferred tools to resolve the crisis.
Obama, at a White House news conference with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said providing weapons to Ukraine was among the options he and his advisors were considering. But he made clear he had reservations about upping the ante in Ukraine and endangering US-European unity in the contest of wills with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Merkel opposes sending weapons to Kiev to help it fight Russian-backed separatists. […]
Obama has long been skeptical of arming proxies in places such as Syria and Ukraine, and “has not said anything … to suggest he’s moved on this issue,” said Andrew Kuchins, director of the Russia and Eurasia program at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.
But Kuchins said that if the latest diplomatic effort fails, “then it will be incumbent on the administration to do something in response,” such as increasing sanctions on Russia or considering arming Ukraine.
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