Merkel says Russia has sought to exploit weakened Ukraine

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a speech in parliament on Thursday that instead of acting as a partner for stability in the Ukraine crisis, Russia had sought to exploit the weakness of its neighbour.

"The territorial integrity of Ukraine cannot be called into question," she said, making clear that the situation in Ukraine's southern region of Crimea was not comparable to the case of Kosovo in the Balkans.