During a public address, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for the first time referred to Vladimir Putin as a "war criminal."
In an interview with the Sat.1 television channel, the politician stated: "Perhaps [he] is one of the most serious war criminals of our time, operating on such a scale. We need to clearly understand how to deal with war criminals. Leniency is unacceptable here."
Merz also emphasized that, at the moment, Putin sees no reason for a ceasefire or signing a peace treaty with Ukraine. Additionally, the chancellor advocated for imposing tariffs on those who continue to trade with Russia in order to weaken its economy.
According to Der Spiegel, although Merz had previously mentioned Russia's war crimes, he had never directly applied the term "war criminal" to Putin.
Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, responding to Merz's remarks, noted that he has "made many harsh statements" about Putin recently.