Merz: Putin is ‘perhaps the most serious war criminal of our time’

Russian President Vladimir Putin is “perhaps the most serious war criminal of our time,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in an interview set to air on Tuesday evening.

“He is a war criminal,” Merz told the broadcaster Sat.1, referring to the Russian leader.

“We simply have to be clear about how to deal with war criminals. There is no place for leniency,” he added.

Merz has levelled severe criticism against Russia since taking office in May, accusing Moscow of “the most serious war crimes” and “terror against the civilian population.”

The personal description of the Russian president as a war criminal, however, is new.

Merz’s comments came after he was asked what name he would give Putin after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the Kremlin leader as a “predator” during a trip to Poland.