Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel forcefully condemned Russia’s battle in Ukraine in her first public speech since leaving workplace in December of final yr.

Premising her feedback by saying that she didn’t wish to give recommendation from the sidelines, Merkel described Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a “barbaric battle of aggression” which constituted a “far-reaching turning level” and essentially the most “evident breach of worldwide regulation” in Europe because the Second World Conflict.

“My solidarity goes out to Ukraine which has been attacked and raided by Russia,” the previous chief stated at a German commerce union occasion in Berlin on Wednesday evening, including that Ukraine’s proper to self-defense was indeniable.

Merkel, who led Germany for 16 years, has come underneath heavy scrutiny in the previous couple of months for her historical past of pleasant relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and monitor report of increasing financial ties between Russia and Germany.

Many criticize her for growing Germany’s dependence on Russian power imports, significantly with the institution of the primary Nord Stream gasoline pipeline between the 2 international locations. She was additionally the driving drive behind the now-defunct Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which her predecessor Olaf Scholz aborted simply earlier than Russia’s invasion of Ukraine started.

Merkel has not responded to these criticisms immediately. Shortly after Russia launched its invasion, Merkel issued a quick assertion saying that there was no justification for breaching worldwide regulation.

However her silence since then has angered many critics, who accuse her of getting enabled Putin. Merkel had insisted on sustaining communication and engagement with Putin even after his annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and incursions into japanese Ukraine, which triggered EU sanctions on Russia.

CNBC has reached out to the German Chancellery for remark.

Scholz, Merkel’s predecessor, now faces the duty of turning that report round, and has overseen a number of the most dramatic shifts in German foreign policy because the finish of World Conflict II — particularly ramping up Germany’s navy spending and agreeing to ship weapons to a battle zone to help Ukraine.

Scholz stated Wednesday that Germany would ship Ukraine its IRIS-T air protection system, amid criticism that his authorities nonetheless is not doing sufficient to assist Ukraine defend itself towards Russia.

Additionally on Wednesday, Germany’s parliamentary funds committee authorized a historic 100 billion euro ($106 billion) fund for the nation’s navy, which is able to go to the complete parliament on Friday.