Sharjah 24 – AFP: Russia accused Germany of "remilitarising" Friday, using language that summoned up its Nazi past.

Germany's government and conservative opposition struck a deal Sunday to release 100 billion euros to build up its army after Moscow's war in Ukraine.

"We take that as another confirmation that Berlin is on the path to a new re-militarisation," said Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

"We know only too well how that can end," she added.

It appeared to be a reference to Nazi Germany's re-armament programme in the 1930s under Adolf Hitler that plunged the world into war.

The Berlin deal involves changing budgetary rules in the constitution and is a major reversal for Germany, which has for years dragged its feet on complying with NATO spending commitments, drawing criticism from Washington in particular.

Since the end of the Cold War, Germany has significantly reduced its military from 500,000 personnel in 1990 to just 200,000 today.

But the conflict in Ukraine has jolted a country steeped in pacifism since the horrors of World War Two into action.