Should Ukraine receive military assistance? The question is being asked as never before in certain quarters following Kyiv’s recent military reverses such as the loss of Donetsk airport, and the growing evidence as claimed by NATO, the OSCE and several western governments that the Russians are directly involved.

The New York Times is reporting NATO’s military top brass and sections of the US Congress are pushing hard to send defensive weaponry, but this would risk escalating the conflict and open a can of worms in terms of possible outcomes.

“We have confirmation that the US was directly involved from the very start in this anti-governmental coup, and I want to underline that President Obama’s rhetoric clearly shows Washington intends to do everything it can to unconditionally support the Ukrainian authorities”, said Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, speaking in China while on a visit.

Europe is getting increasingly nervous in this war of words, and few are calling for Ukraine to be armed in Paris, London or Berlin, where Angela Merkel insists the conflict can still be resolved with negotiation, and rules out supplying any German weapons to Kyiv.