Russia launched a "barbaric war of aggression" in Ukraine, according to a statement from the former chancellor.
"My solidarity goes out to Ukraine which has been attacked and raided by Russia," she said at a German trade union event in Berlin.
The former German leader, who until recently was one of the most influential leaders in the world, has been the target of criticism over her handling of relations with the Russian President, even as the dynamic between Moscow and the West became increasingly contentious.
Critics have zeroed in on the central role she played in pushing for the project, which was meant to carry Russian gas to Germany. The project was halted by the German Chancellor due to Russia's actions in Ukraine.
Donald Tusk, who was the President of the European Council at the time, said that the biggest mistake of the German leader was her decision to go ahead with the Nord Stream 2 project. "From the perspective of EU interests, the Nord Stream 2 project is a bad one," according to the time.
The EU has been accused of funding Putin's war machine. The EU has taken steps to end its dependence on Russian energy. An embargo on Russian oil imports was agreed to by the bloc. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said on Monday that this would cut oil imports from Russia to the EU by the end of the year.
Russian oil can't be imported by sea, but it can be imported through the pipelines. Both Germany and Poland said they would stop imports of crude oil. Germany has adopted a number of historic policy changes since the fall of the Berlin Wall, including a decision to give weapons to the Ukrainians. As Russia makes some progress despite its earlier failures, the German government still faces calls to speed up the delivery of lethal aid toUkraine.
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