Germany will not send arms to Ukraine: Merkel

 Germany will not provide Ukraine with weapons to fight Russian-backed rebels in the east, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday, stressing the need for a diplomatic solution to the conflict,AFP reports.

"Germany will not support Ukraine with guns and weapons," Merkel said at a press conference after meeting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest.

"It is my firm belief that this conflict cannot be solved militarily," she added.

"We are pledging all our bets on sanctions and do our utmost to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict."

With a surge in fighting in recent weeks and the collapse of peace talks, Washington and NATO appear to be moving towards supplying arms to Ukrainian forces, The New York Times reported Sunday.

US President Barack Obama's administration was reviewing whether to provide "lethal assistance", in addition to non-lethal aid such as body armour and medical equipment which it already supplies, the report said.