Merkel Objection to Arms for Ukraine May Spur Obama Backlash

Germany’s rejection of supplying weapons to Ukrainian forces fighting pro-Russian rebels may heighten the domestic pressure on a reluctant U.S. President Barack Obama to deliver the arms.

Increasing numbers of senior military and State Department officials are joining Republican lawmakers in a push to arm Ukraine -- an option the commander-in-chief personally opposes, according to three people familiar with the dynamics in the Obama administration. They asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.