Merkel’s White House test: suppress anger over NSA to show unity on Ukraine

The uncomfortable issue of NSA spying on Americas allies is sure to come up when Germany's Angela Merkel and Obama meet Friday, but the crisis in Ukraine will dominate their agenda.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will still be smarting from last years revelations of US eavesdropping on her cellphone when she visits the White House Friday for lunch and several hours of talks with President Obama.

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But even if the nagging issue of the National Security Agency spying on Americas allies is sure to come up, the crisis in Ukraine and in particular coordination of the transatlantic response to Russian President Vladimir Putins challenge to European order will dominate the agenda.

Facing the gravest challenge to stability in Europe since the cold war, the two leaders both pragmatists and practitioners of a cautious and deliberate foreign policy will be looking to each other for leadership in addressing the Ukraine storm.

Ms. Merkel the Western leader with the closest personal relationship with Mr. Putin, and whose country has the strongest economic ties to Russia can be expected to argue for continuing a careful step-by-step approach to Russian aggression, transatlantic experts say. Merkel was deeply disappointed by Putins annexation of Crimea and the campaign of destabilization he is carrying out in eastern Ukraine, German experts say, and now believes a tough Western response is in order.

At the same time, she is likely to encourage Mr. Obama to continue with his approach of coordinating with Europe and prioritizing transatlantic unity over unilateral action, they add despite the domestic criticism Merkel knows Obama faces for not moving faster.

Merkels response to the crisis has been a little bit tougher than some might have expected, says Christopher Chivvis, a specialist in European and Eurasian security at RAND Corp. in Arlington, Va. Its also true, he adds, that because of Germanys leadership role in Europe and its dominant role in relations with Russia, what she says has a really big impact in the region.

As a result of Merkels somewhat surprising firmness and the influential role she plays, Mr. Chivvis anticipates an effort by Obama to enlist Germany to go farther and do more.

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Merkel's White House test: suppress anger over NSA to show unity on Ukraine