Western unity over Ukraine-Russia crisis begins to show cracks

Through nine months of struggle to halt Russia’s military thrust into Ukraine, Western unity has been a foremost priority for American and European leaders.

Now, with the crisis entering a dangerous new phase, that solid front is in danger of collapsing.

As President Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel prepare to meet Monday at the White House, an increasingly public argument has broken out among Western officials over whether to arm the Ukrainian government.

A growing number of U.S. officials, and some in Europe, particularly in countries bordering Russia, believe that the only way to dissuade Russian President Vladimir Putin from continuing what they see as an invasion of Ukraine is to raise the military cost to Moscow. That means giving the Ukrainians better weapons, they say.

Read the full article at The L.A. Times.