President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are    putting on a display of trans-Atlantic unity against an    assertive Russia, even as sanctions imposed by Western allies    seem to be doing little to change Russian President Vladimir    Putin's reasoning on Ukraine.  
    Days after the United States and the European Union slapped    Moscow with a new round of sanctions, Merkel was to hold    meetings, a working lunch and a joint news conference with    Obama on Friday. The German chancellor comes to the White House    buoyed by a decisive re-election victory late last year but    facing pressure from all sides as Europe seeks to toe a hard    line against Russia on Ukraine without harming its own economic    interests.  
    As the crisis in Ukraine has deteriorated, Merkel has spoken to    Putin perhaps more frequently than any other European leader.    As such, the U.S. sees her as a critical channel of    communication with the unpredictable Russian leader, as well as    a key player in the effort to prevent other EU nations from    going soft on sanctions.  
    "There's no question that the situation in Ukraine, the    continued failure by Russia to abide by its commitments in the    Geneva Agreement will be a focus of the conversation," White    House spokesman Jay Carney said in a reference to the    diplomatic deal struck two weeks ago in the Swiss city to calm    tensions between pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine and    the central government in Kiev.  
    U.S. and German officials said ahead of the Obama-Merkel    meeting that part of the discussion probably would focus on how    the U.S. and Europe would coordinate harsher punishments     including sanctions targeting broad sectors of Russia's economy     should Moscow further provoke tensions in Ukraine, such as by    sending military forces into restive eastern Ukraine. The White    House is concerned that Europe's deep economic interests in    Russia and dependence on Russian energy could deter EU nations    from following through with sanctions that could ricochet onto    their own economies.  
    "She's getting enormous pressure from German industry not to    harm their interests," said Heather Conley, a Europe expert at    the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "She has to    start laying the political groundwork for this because it    requires some sacrifice."  
    Merkel, like Obama, has ruled out military action to deter    Putin from seizing more of Ukraine. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.,    who has urged Obama to send weapons to Ukraine's government,    said he planned to tell Merkel during a private meeting that he    was embarrassed but unsurprised by her country's failure of    leadership.  
    "The leaders, they're being governed by the industrial complex    of Germany," McCain said Thursday. "They might as well have    them in the government. It's shameful."  
    A troubled EU-U.S. trade agreement, known as the Transatlantic    Trade and Investment Partnership, is also on the agenda, as    well as joint efforts to deal with climate change, Syria's    civil war and nuclear negotiations with Iran, said Laura    Magnuson of the White House's National Security Council.  
    But the German leader may also be bringing her concerns over    U.S. spying programs  an issue that's continued to erode the    U.S.-German relationship despite Obama's assurances that the    National Security Agency would stop eavesdropping on Merkel's    cellphone.  
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Obama, Merkel to Display Unity Against Russia