* Merkel says arming Ukraine would only worsen conflict
* U.S. Senator Graham accuses Berlin of turning back on ally
* Talks with Putin yield little beyond agreement to talk more
* Merkel to fly to Washington Sunday for talks with Obama
–
“If we don’t manage to find not just a compromise but a lasting peace agreement, we know perfectly well what the scenario will be. It has a name, it’s called war,” he said.
In a further sign of cracks in the Western approach towards Russia, NATO’s top military commander, U.S. Air Force General Philip Breedlove signaled that he now wants the alliance to consider sending weapons to Ukraine.
“I don’t think we should preclude out of hand the possibility of the military option,” Breedlove told reporters, adding that he was referring to weapons or capabilities and that there was “no conversation about boots on the ground.”
After her speech, Merkel held three-way talks with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and U.S. Vice President Joe Biden. She is due to fly to Washington on Sunday to meet Obama. (Additional reporting by Adrian Croft, Lesley Wroughton, Shadia Nasralla, Andreas Rinke & Sabine Siebold; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
