The Kremlin Rejects Merz's Statements and Questions His Proposal for Peace Talks

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's statements regarding Ukrainian peace talks cannot be taken seriously, after Moscow described him as having made a series of "inappropriate" remarks about Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Merz stated in an interview broadcast by the German network "Pro Sieben" on Tuesday that Putin "may be the most dangerous war criminal of our time," emphasizing that there is no room for tolerance towards such individuals, referring to his stance against any political settlement involving the current Russian leadership.

For its part, the Kremlin once again denied that its forces have committed any war crimes in Ukraine, rejecting the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court in 2023 against Putin, which accused him of committing a war crime related to the abduction of hundreds of children from Ukrainian territories, describing the warrant as "disgraceful.".

In a comment on Merz's suggestion that the Swiss city of Geneva could be a potential location for peace talks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said during an official visit to China: "Merz has made many inappropriate statements in the past few hours, so it is difficult to take his opinion into account at this time."