“The progress that Ukraine needs cannot be achieved with more weapons,” Merkel said. “I have grave doubts about the validity of this point.”
Merkel said she believes that if the West sends weapons to Ukraine, Russia could intensify its — and possibly introduce its air force into the fight.
But U.S. Sen. John McCain, who supports arming Ukraine, said it’s a “harsh reality” that Russia’s military is supporting pro-Russia separatist rebels in Ukraine.
He said Russian President Vladimir Putin “does not want a diplomatic solution, he wants to dominate Ukraine as well as Russia’s other neighbors.”
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Buildings in the area were damaged in the Sunday blast, including homes, but no casualties have been reported.
Eduard Basurin, deputy defense minister of the rebel Donetsk People’s Republic, accused Ukraine of carrying out the attack.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry wouldn’t say if the explosion was the result of an attack by its military.
CNN’s Holly Yan reported and wrote from Atlanta; Matthew Chance reported from Moscow. CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen and journalist Victoria Butenko in Kiev, Ukraine, and CNN’s Radina Gigova in Atlanta contributed to this report.
