U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr. has risked incurring the wrath of frontman Bono - he has reportedly blasted the singer for cozying up to world leaders.

The rocker launched a tirade against former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and outgoing U.S. president George W. Bush, branding them "war criminals".

And he is said to have admitted it makes him "cringe" when he sees singer Bono associating with the pair.

In an interview with British music magazine Q, Mullen is quoted as saying: "Tony Blair is a war criminal and I think he should be tried as a war criminal. Then I see Bono and him as pals and I'm going, 'I don't like that'.

"Do I think George Bush is a war criminal? Probably - but the difference between him and Tony Blair is that Blair is intelligent. So he has no excuse for what he did."

Although Mullen admits Bono is "prepared to use his weight as a celebrity, at great cost to himself and his family, to help other people", he adds: "But as an outsider looking in, I cringe."

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)