In her first public speech in six months, former German chancellor Angela Merkel called the Russian attack on Ukraine a blatant breach of international law and a "profound break" in the history of Europe after World War II.
"My solidarity is with Ukraine, which was attacked and invaded by Russia, and with supporting its right to self-defence," Merkel said on Wednesday evening.
As she no longer holds office, Merkel said she was reluctant to weigh in on events from the sidelines.
But the four-term chancellor said she supports the efforts being undertaken by the current German government, the European Union, the United States, NATO, the G7 and the UN "to ensure that this barbaric war of aggression by Russia is stopped."
Merkel spoke in front of 200 guests at a farewell event in Berlin for Reiner Hoffmann, who recently stepped down as chairman of the influential German Trade Union Confederation.
She said that the consequences of the war would be far-reaching, for Ukrainians especially, but also the continent.
Merkel addressed the rights abuses being perpetrated against civilians. "Bucha is representative of this horror," she said, referring to the massacre of hundreds in a Kiev suburb.
A small ray of hope "in this infinite sadness" was the enormous support for Ukrainians many neighbouring countries had shown, naming Poland and Moldova as examples.
"Never should we take peace and freedom for granted," she said.
