German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has compared U.S. President Donald Trump to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, stating that both have destroyed their countries' relationships with Europe, The Telegraph reports.

Steinmeier sharply criticized Trump's military actions in Iran and expressed the view that there is "no going back" for the transatlantic alliance since Trump began his second term in office.

"Just as I believe there will be no going back to before February 24, 2022, in relations with Russia, I also believe there will be no going back to before January 20, 2025, in transatlantic relations," he said, referring to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Trump's inauguration day.

In a speech marking the 75th anniversary of Germany's Foreign Ministry, Steinmeier called Trump's war "catastrophic, preventable, and unnecessary" and noted that it has marked a new low point in relations between the United States and Europe.

"This war is a violation of international law — there can be no doubt about that. The justification that there was an imminent attack on the United States does not hold up to scrutiny — that, apparently, was the view of at least part of the U.S. intelligence community," Steinmeier said.

"This war is a catastrophic political mistake, and — what upsets me most — it could have been avoided if the genuine goal was to stop Iran on its path to nuclear weapons," he added.

His remarks are among the sharpest criticisms of a U.S. president ever made by a German president — a largely ceremonial position that traditionally considers itself above partisan politics.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later commented on the statement, praising it highly.