Translated with AI
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "possibly the most dangerous war criminal of our time." The politician made this statement in an interview with the German television channel Sat.1.
"We must clearly understand how to deal with war criminals. There is no room for concessions here," Merz emphasized. He stated that the Russian leader will continue the war against Ukraine because he has no grounds for a ceasefire or a peace agreement. The Chancellor emphasized the need for Western countries to create such a basis.
"It's difficult to do this militarily, but it's possible economically," he added, specifying that Russia could be "brought to a state of economic exhaustion." In that case, it would be unable to sustain its military machine and continue to seize Ukrainian territory. As a measure, Merz proposed imposing tariffs on countries that continue to trade with Russia.
The Chancellor also pointed out that Putin is still not in diplomatic isolation, including due to the actions of the administration of US President Donald Trump.
In late August, Merz threatened to tighten sanctions against Russia if a "de facto agreed" meeting between Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not take place. He also proposed holding a trilateral meeting between the presidents of Russia, Ukraine, and the United States if the summit failed.
The idea of direct talks between Zelenskyy and Putin arose after the talks between Russian and American leaders in Alaska. Moscow, however, set a number of conditions: according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Putin is only willing to meet with Zelenskyy after a "detailed discussion" of the agenda. Kyiv, for its part, emphasizes that Russia is blocking the process.
According to Reuters sources close to the Kremlin, Moscow is demanding that Kyiv renounce Donbas, join NATO, deploy foreign troops, and reduce its own army, as well as legally binding guarantees against NATO expansion to the east.
