“Until we managed to do this, the cold war is not really over yet,” TASS quoted her as saying, citing the DPA.

Merkel called the situation in Ukraine a "profound turning point", emphasizing the need to take Russian President Vladimir Putin's statements more seriously.

“We are all strongly encouraged to take words seriously and not classify them as bluff from the start,” she said.

Earlier, Putin said that if the territorial integrity of Russia is threatened, all means will be used to protect the Russian people.

Merkel noted that taking these warnings seriously would indicate political wisdom, not weakness.