Russian President Vladimir Putin "is perhaps the most serious war criminal of our time," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in an interview broadcast on German television "Zat Einz" (Sat.1) tonight, DPA reported, BTA reported.
"He is a war criminal", Merz said. "We simply have to be clear about how to deal with war criminals. There is no room for leniency", the German Chancellor added.
Merz has stepped up his harsh criticism of Russia since taking office in May. He accused Moscow of "the most serious war crimes" and "terror against the civilian population". However, the personal description of the Russian president as a war criminal is new, DPA notes.
Merz made the comment in response to a journalist's question about what name he would give Putin, after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described him as a "predator" during her trip to Poland.
The EU is not responsible for decisions on military support for Kiev, Merz added in response to von der Leyen's comments on security guarantees.
Military support for Ukraine is a topic for members of the "Coalition of the Willing", the German Chancellor added.
His comments followed similar criticism made by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius yesterday, after the British newspaper "Financial Times" reported that the EC President had spoken of concrete plans to send ground troops to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.
Merz stressed that there were no such concrete plans for military action - "at least not in Germany".
Long-term security guarantees could only be decided after a ceasefire or a peace agreement, the German Chancellor said.
Even then, according to Merz, there would be "significant reservations" about the deployment of German troops. He stressed that such a decision would have to be approved by the German parliament. The deployment would also depend on the type of agreement reached with Russia, Merz added. "There are still many obstacles to overcome, probably for a fairly long period of time," the German Chancellor said.