Russia slams German chancellor for calling Putin a 'war criminal'

Moscow on Wednesday criticized recent statements made by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who labelled Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal due to his ongoing assault on Ukraine, according to Russian news agencies.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov's comments came on the sidelines of Putin's visit to Beijing, where he is on a four-day state visit.

Peskov stated that Merz has made many "unpleasant remarks" recently and that his opinion can hardly be taken into account at the present moment.

Russian media reported on this reaction from Moscow but many avoided the term war criminal.

Putin also commented on the allegations later at a press conference. He described them as "an unsuccessful attempt to shift responsibility for the tragedy in Ukraine."

Putin was not referring to Merz personally, but to the responsibility of the West and Europeans for the 2014 coup in Kiev, which he said was the cause of all subsequent events.

Merz called Putin "perhaps the most severe war criminal of our time that we currently see on a large scale" in comments to a German broadcaster on Tuesday.

Merz emphasized the need for clarity in dealing with war criminals, stating that leniency is out of place. He also called for tariffs against countries that trade with Russia, such as China and India.

The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, where the Kremlin launched a full-scale invasion in 2022.

Russia categorically rejects the accusation of war crimes and emphasizes that the "military special operation," as the Kremlin describes its assault, serves to protect the Russian-speaking population in Ukraine.

Kiev accuses Russia of thousands of war crimes.