PERSPECTIVE U.S. and German Views on Ukraine The Risks of Trans-Atlantic Misunderstanding MICHAEL KOFMAN AND MATTHEW ROJANSKY June 2015 „ „ In the U.S. the debate over lethal weapons for Ukraine is quietly simmering among officials, experts, and the media. If there is a renewed separatist offensive, calls from familiar circles in Congress and the expert community will reignite the question of whether the U.S. should become an active party to the conflict by sending weapons to Ukraine. „ „ Berlin’s staunch and consistent opposition to a U.S. policy of arming Ukraine has up to now posed an insurmountable hurdle to its advocates in Washington. Recently, however, U.S. advocates of lethal weapons for Ukraine have sought to remove the German obstruction by diluting Berlin’s position behind the scenes. „ „ Germany will not change course because its current leadership lived through the decades of division during the Cold War, and peaceful reunification after 1989. The greatest danger may now be that Germans and Americans fail to communicate clearly with one another, even as they press a clear and united front on Vladimir Putin.