The German chancellor tried to divert the responsibility for the Ukraine conflict away from the West, the Russian president has said

Chancellor Friedrich Merz sought to shift the responsibility for the Ukraine conflict away from the West, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said, after the German leader called him a "war criminal."

Speaking during a press conference on Wednesday, Putin said: "I think that [Merz's remark] was an unsuccessful attempt to absolve himself, maybe not himself personally, but his country and the collective West... of the responsibility for the tragedy that is currently unfolding in Ukraine."

Merz told broadcaster Sat.1 that Putin was "perhaps the most serious war criminal of our time," expressing skepticism over Moscow's readiness to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine.

"We simply have to be clear about how to deal with war criminals. There is no room for leniency," the German chancellor stressed.

Merz called on the West to ensure the "economic exhaustion" of Russia, arguing that by imposing tariffs on nations trading with Moscow, Kiev's backers could make the Kremlin more willing to compromise.

Commenting on the chancellor's remark, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS that "Merz has made very bad statements vis-a-vis Russian President Vladimir Putin." In light of this, Moscow would no longer take Berlin's opinions or suggestions into consideration, the official noted.

In 2023, former US President Joe Biden characterized Putin as a "dictator." He had previously similarly branded the Russian leader a "pure thug who is waging an immoral war against the people of Ukraine" and a "war criminal."

Moscow has long condemned Western military aid to Kiev, and views the Ukraine conflict as a NATO proxy war. Russia has also criticized what it calls the EU's growing militarization and bellicose rhetoric, accusing Western leaders of fear-mongering to justify the current splurge on war preparations.

Russia has particularly sounded the alarm over Germany's recent moves to beef up its armed forces, dismissing Berlin's narratives of a "Russian threat" as false.