The 96-year-old former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt has been in intensive care at a hospital for health reasons, a German newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Citing a friend close to Schmidt, the Hamburger Abendblatt said the ex-Chancellor had been admitted to the intensive care ward at a hospital in the northern German city of Hamburg due to a vessel occlusion in his right leg.

"Helmut has strength and grit. The situation, however, is serious," said the friend of Schmidt.

It will be clear on Wednesday whether the ex-Chancellor needs to be operated, according to the Hamburger Abendblatt.

This is the second time within a month that Schmidt has been treated in a hospital due to health problems.

Schmidt, a German Social Democratic politician, served as Chancellor of West Germany from 1974 to 1982. He is one of the most respected statesmen in Germany.