Russian military aggression against Ukraine cannot be left unpunished by the world community, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said.

"I'm sure that the united European reaction to Russia's actions is the right one. The fact that Russia violated guarantees of Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty legally secured by Budapest Memorandum 1994 cannot be left without consequences," Merkel said in an interview with the Welt am Sonntag weekly published on December 7.

Merkel accused Russia of destabilizing Eastern Europe, and of violating the territorial integrity of nearby countries.

"Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine made a sovereign decision to sign the Association Agreements with EU, and now Russia is creating difficulties for these countries. Moldova has been suffering from a conflict in Transdniestria for many years. We've made large political efforts to help here, but it is still in vain. Georgia is also suffering from frozen conflicts in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Ukraine has to suffer from the annexation of Crimea and battles in the eastern part of the country. We also see that Russia is trying to subordinate some states in the western part of Balkans from an economic and political point of view," she said.

She said that the German government is trying to restore peace in Ukraine using only diplomatic means, not military ones, whilst recognizing the territorial integrity of the state.

"This principle was violated by Russia in Crimea, and in Luhansk and Donetsk," she said.

Commenting on the German business community’s dissatisfaction with sanctions against Russia,

Merkel said that on the contrary, she believes there is considerable support for the government’s policy concerning the Ukrainian crisis, despite the fact that sanctions are a burden for some companies in Germany.

She also said that if an armed conflict begins between Russia, and Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, NATO will provide military support to the Baltic States.