German Chancellor Merz Accuses Putin of Destabilizing the West
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of efforts to destabilize the West through incursions and sabotage. Merz rejected Ukrainian surrender, warning against peace dictated by Russia. The far-right AfD criticized Merz's stance, while the Kremlin dismissed accusations against its actions in Ukraine.

In a parliamentary debate in Berlin, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz delivered a scathing indictment of Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of murder and attempts to destabilize the West by testing its limits through espionage and sabotage.
Merz highlighted incursions into Polish and Romanian airspace as indicative of a broader strategy to push Western boundaries, asserting that any peace dictated on Russia's terms is unacceptable and risked encouraging further aggression.
The far-right Alternative for Germany party criticized Merz as posturing, while the Kremlin rejected claims of war crimes in Ukraine, arguing that such accusations should be disregarded in the context of Ukrainian peace talks.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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