Glenn Diesen, a professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway, criticized a statement made by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ahead of May 9.

The day before, the head of the German government wrote that May 8, 1945, brought liberation to millions of people and said that one must not forget what hatred in politics can lead to.

In response, Diesen accused Merz of leading Europe toward a major war with Russia, supporting genocide in Gaza and claiming that Israel is doing the West’s «dirty work» in Iran. The professor also said the chancellor is strangling freedom of speech and democracy in Germany while seeking to create the largest army in Europe.

Earlier, Merz said European diplomacy would be truly effective only if backed by military capabilities, including European nuclear weapons.

Russian Ambassador to Germany Sergey Nechayev, for his part, had noted that a new conflict between Moscow and Berlin would be a nightmare.