Merkel condemns Putin's war of aggression
She stated this to the German news agency dpa, Ukrinform reports.
"This war of aggression by Russia marks a profound turning point in the history of Europe after the end of the Cold War. […] I condemn it in the strongest possible terms," Merkel said.
According to her, "there is no justification for this blatant breach of international law."
Merkel expressed her solidarity with the Ukrainian people and the government led by President Volodymyr Zelensky in these frightful hours and days.
The former chancellor also voiced her "complete support" for efforts by the German government, the EU, NATO, the UN and the G7 in a bid to put a swift stop to the war.
Merkel made it clear that Russia's renewed attack on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of an independent state this time affects the whole of Ukraine.
In 2014, Russia occupied the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula of Crimea.
During her tenure as German chancellor, Merkel worked to keep channels of communication with Putin open. In 2015, she and then-French President Francois Hollande acted as mediators in negotiations on a peace plan for eastern Ukraine in Minsk.
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