Russian President Vladimir Putin
Kremlin on Wednesday sharply criticized German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for branding Russian President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” over Russia’s ongoing military actions in Ukraine.
Speaking on the sidelines of Putin’s four-day state visit to Beijing, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed Merz’s remarks as inflammatory.
“Chancellor Merz has recently made numerous unpleasant statements, and his views carry little weight at this time,” Peskov told reporters, according to Russian media outlets, many of which avoided directly referencing the term “war criminal.”
At a press conference later, Putin addressed the accusations indirectly, framing
them as misguided.
“These claims are a clumsy attempt to deflect blame for the tragedy in Ukraine,” he said, attributing the conflict’s roots to what he described as a Western-backed “coup” in Kyiv in 2014.
“The West and Europe bear responsibility for the events that followed,” Putin added.
Merz, in an interview with a German broadcaster on Tuesday, described Putin as “perhaps the most severe war criminal of our time on a global scale.”
He stressed the importance of addressing such figures decisively, stating, “Leniency has no place when dealing with war criminals.”
Merz also advocated for tariffs on countries like China and India that maintain trade ties with Russia.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova hit back at Merz’s call for the “economic exhaustion” of Russia.
“Mr. Merz, the one who is exhausting is not up to the task,” Zakharova quipped, questioning Germany’s ability to enforce such measures. She pointed to Germany’s economic struggles, particularly following the loss of affordable Russian oil and gas supplies.
Russia has frequently highlighted Germany’s economic challenges amid its criticism of Merz. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin in 2023 for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, where Russia launched a full-scale invasion in 2022. Moscow rejects these accusations, insisting its “special military operation” aims to protect Russian-speaking communities in Ukraine. (dpa/NAN)
