Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel broke her six-month silence after leaving office and strongly criticized Russia.
According to Reuters and DPA, former Chancellor Merkel condemned the resignation ceremony of Reiner Hoffmann, chairman of the German Trade Unions Federation, held in Berlin on the 1st local time: "Russian invasion is a blatant violation of international law and a serious break in European history after World War II." reported.
It is the first time since her departure that former Chancellor Merkel, who stepped down in December after her 16-year tenure, has spoken publicly about international issues.
"I support the efforts made by the German government, the European Union, the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to end the barbaric war of aggression," he said. “He said.
He also referred to the massacre of civilians by the Russian military in the Bucha region near Kiiu, the Ukrainian capital, saying, “Bucha is a prime example of this horror, and that peace and freedom should never be taken for granted.”
After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, former Chancellor Merkel came to the fore with the conciliatory attitude she had toward Russia during her tenure.
He was criticized by the United States and other Western countries as a threat to energy security, especially for his enforcement of the 'Nord Stream-2', a gas pipeline designed to supply Russian gas directly to Germany.
Merkel, a former East German Chancellor, has maintained that Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in 2014 and the ongoing conflict in eastern Donbas should continue dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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