Russia responds to Merz's accusatory remarks, branding Putin as a war criminal.

In a significant turn of events, Germany's Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has labelled Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin as the "most serious war criminal of our time" due to his invasion of Ukraine. This strong condemnation comes amidst ongoing allegations of war crimes against Putin, with the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuing an arrest warrant against him.

However, Putin is currently on a four-day state visit to China, and he responded to the accusations at a press conference, describing them as an "unsuccessful attempt to shift responsibility for the tragedy in Ukraine." Russia rejects the charge of war crimes, referring to the "military special operation" as an effort to protect the Russian-speaking population in Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Sacharova has criticized Merz's statement about Russia's economic exhaustion, a recurring theme in Moscow. Sacharova doubting that Germany was capable of bringing about such exhaustion. Russian media, on the other hand, has largely avoided using the term 'war criminal' in their reporting on Merz's statement.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has accused Russia of thousands of war crimes, and Merz also emphasized the need for clarity in dealing with war criminals, stating that there should be no leniency in such cases. Merz has also called for tariffs against countries that trade with Russia, including China and India.

Putin did not refer to Merz personally, but blamed the West and the Europeans for the coup in Kiev in 2014, which he said was the cause of all further events. The arrest warrant was issued due to Putin's involvement in the invasion of Ukraine, which has been ongoing for more than three and a half years.

The United States government does not recognize the ICC and is therefore not obligated to act on the international arrest warrant issued against Vladimir Putin for alleged war crimes in Ukraine; the warrant carries mainly symbolic weight as the ICC lacks its own police force, and both the US and Russia reject the court's jurisdiction.

As tensions continue to escalate, both parties remain firm in their positions, with no signs of de-escalation in sight. The international community watches with bated breath, waiting to see how these events will unfold.