Angela Merkel: 'More weapons will not lead to the progress Ukraine needs'

Germany's Angela Merkel dismissed the idea of arming Ukraine with weapons to combat pro-Russian separatists, following a Friday trip to Moscow to present a peace plan, Reuters reports.

President Barack Obama is reportedly considering arming Kiev against militants that Western powers say are being supported by Russia — a claim Moscow continues to deny. But European officials, and most vocally Merkel, do not believe a military standoff is the answer.

"I understand the debate, but I believe that more weapons will not lead to the progress Ukraine needs," Merkel said. "The problem is, I can't envision any situation in which a better-equipped Ukraine military would convince President Putin that he could lose militarily."

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Merkel and French President Francois Hollande met with Putin on Friday, and Merkel is now scheduled to speak with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko today, followed by Obama on Sunday.