Leader of Germany's populist BSW condemns Putin and Ukraine war

Sahra Wagenknecht, the leader of the new eponymous German populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) has distanced herself from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"I condemn this war," Wagenknecht told German public broadcaster ZDF on Thursday. "I consider politicians who start wars - and that also applies to Vladimir Putin - to be criminals."

Wagenknecht is known for her opposition to German military support for Ukraine and has expressed pro-Russian sentiments in the past.

Speaking to ZDF, she nonetheless defended the decision to leave Germany's lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, along with her party ahead of a speech given by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in June.

She said there was no opportunity for a debate at that time and that Zelensky was only to receive "standing ovations," despite having recently ordered a drone attack on Russian nuclear forces using drones. That was "very negligent," Wagenknecht commented.

The BSW, which was founded last year on a platform combining left-wing economic policy with hard-right positions on issues such as migration, is polling at around 8%.