Ukraine crisis, NSA spying on agenda as Merkel heads to Washington

Berlin (dpa) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel travels to Washington Thursday, intent on brainstorming solutions to the Ukraine crisis and gaining US assurances that spying on its allies will be minimized.

However, the chances of a definitive solution on either topic is minimal.

Aside from her meeting Friday with US President Barack Obama, Merkel is also expected to head to the Interational Monetary Fund (IMF) and give a keynote address at the US Chamber of Commerce focusing on the future of US-EU trade talks. Her visit starts Thursday with a meeting with US legislators at her ambassadors residence.

The visit comes as the war of words between the West and Russia over the future of Ukraine has increased in intensity and days after a new round of Western sanctions was imposed.

Russia continues to deny it is backing pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine even as Western leaders appeal to it for help in freeing a group of kidnapped Western military observers. Merkel made a new appeal Thursday.

German officials have not ruled out further action against Russia in hopes of forcing cooperation on an agreement reached last week in Geneva that sought a peaceful way out of the crisis.

Merkel also plans to talk to IMF Director Christine Lagarde about possible IMF aid to the former Soviet republic.

Large segments of the German population will also expect Merkel to bring up the question of US National Security Agency (NSA) spying, which was brought to light last year after revelations by whistleblower Edward Snowden, currently in asylum in Russia.

Germans were incensed last year at reports that the NSA had spied on Merkels personal mobile phone, and she is under pressure to get some concessions in this area even though the chances of the US disavowing spying are slim.

It is her first trip to the United States since the Snowden revelations. Merkels government has warned that concrete results are unlikely and stressed that the Ukraine crisis needs to take priority.

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Ukraine crisis, NSA spying on agenda as Merkel heads to Washington