Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on the 7th that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine was a "great tragedy", and had not been able to establish a security framework to avoid this conflict before. Merkel was interviewed by Der Spiegel when she attended the event at the Berlin song and dance troupe theater that night. This is her rare public appearance since she officially stepped down as prime minister in December last year. It is also her first interview with reporters after 16 years as prime minister. Merkel said that during her term of office, she has made a lot of diplomatic efforts to ease tensions between Russia and Ukraine, and she will not apologize for this. "Diplomatic means have not taken effect, but this does not mean that diplomatic efforts are wrong.". Recently, Merkel has been criticized by some people for pushing the "beixi-2" natural gas pipeline project during her term of office. Critics believe that the project has led Germany to rely too much on imported energy from Russia. (Xinhua News Agency)