The head of the German Navy caused a stir with statements about Russian President Putin and the Ukraine conflict. Ukraine summons the German ambassador.
Berlin/Kiev – Against the background of the Ukraine conflict, a leading German military has caused irritation with statements about Russia.
The Vice Admiral and Chief of the German Navy, Kay-Achim Schönbach, expressed understanding for the Russian President Vladimir Putin during an appearance in India. He also said about the conflict between Russia and Ukraine: “The Crimean peninsula is gone, it will not come back.” That Russia wants to appropriate Ukrainian territory is “nonsense”. According to information on Saturday, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned the German Ambassador to Ukraine, Anka Feldhusen. The Ministry of Defense in Berlin distanced itself from Schönbach’s statements.
Vice Admiral speaks of “nonsense”
In 2014, Russia annexed the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula of Crimea. Since then, rebels supported by Moscow have been fighting the pro-Western government in Kiev in the east of the country. With a massive Russian troop deployment near Ukraine, there are fears in the West that the Kremlin may be planning an invasion of the neighboring country.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stated in a letter that the German ambassador had been summoned, that it was about the “unacceptability of the statements made by the Commander-in-Chief of the German Navy, Kay-Achim Schönbach.” Ukraine will return and that our state will not meet the criteria for membership of NATO”.
“Putin wants respect at eye level”
According to a video published on the Internet, Schönbach also said with a view to Russian President Putin: “What he really wants is respect at eye level. And – my God – showing respect to someone costs next to nothing, costs nothing. So you would ask me: It’s easy to give him the respect that he demands – and that he probably deserves.” He sees the greater threat in China. “Even we, India, Germany, need Russia because we need Russia against China.”
The Ministry of Defense said on request: “The statements in no way correspond to the position of the Federal Ministry of Defense in terms of content and choice of words.” The Vice Admiral was given the opportunity to comment on the Inspector General. Schönbach himself reported on Saturday via his official Twitter account: He described his statement as a “clear mistake” and as “imprudent, misjudged the situation”.
No arms sales to Ukraine
Ukraine also once again complained that Germany did not want to supply any defense weapons to the country: “We express our deep disappointment at the position of the German government regarding the non-granting of defense weapons to Ukraine.”
Ukraine had repeatedly asked Germany for arms supplies. The federal government has so far stuck to its clear no. Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) told the “Welt am Sonntag”: “Weapons deliveries would not be helpful at the moment – that is the consensus in the federal government.” dpa
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