U.S. Drive To Arm Kiev Uniting Europe In Opposition

The Obama Administration’s hints that it may move to send weapons to the Nazi regime in Kiev is causing a strong reaction in Europe against it. In the last 24 hours this was best expressed by French President François Hollande who told France 2 television, after he returned to Paris from Moscow that the plan under discussion includes a 50-70 km demilitarized zone between the two sides. He called for “rather strong” autonomy in the east.

“These people have gone to war,” Hollande said.

“It will be difficult to make them share a common life,”

he said. He also said that the current negotiations are the last chance.

“Because if we are not able to reach, not a compromise but a durable peace accord, we perfectly know the scenario: It has one name, it is called war.”

German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, speaking at the annual Munich Security Conference, repeated her formulation of the day before, that sending arms to Ukraine would be adding fuel to the fire.

“I am convinced that concentrating on weapons delivery alone can only accelerate the fire and put us even further from a solution,” she said.