Russia must face 'consequences' for violating Ukraine's sovereignty, says Merkel

BERLIN, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Russia's actions toward neighboring Ukraine cannot go unpunished, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in an interview published Sunday by the Welt am Sonntag weekly.

"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," she is quoted as saying.

Under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum -- signed by Russia, Ukraine, the U.S., and the U.K. -- Ukraine is assured of protection from threats or use of force against its territorial integrity or political independence in exchange for giving up its nuclear weapons.

Germany, she underlined, continues to exercise diplomatic means to restore peace in Ukraine.

Merkel observed that "Russia is creating problems for all three of these countries," she said, pointing to Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, "three countries in our eastern neighborhood that have taken sovereign decisions to sign an association agreement with the E.U."

If Russia's aggression were to extend to the Baltic states and violence to break out, Merkel noted that NATO would provide military support.