The head of the German Navy, Chief Kay-Achim Schoenbach, told a forum in India a number of truths regarding President Vladimir Putin, Crimea, and the current rush to military confrontation – and is getting denounced for it, both in Germany and abroad.
“What he (Putin) really wants is respect,” Schoenbach says, as reported by Reuters. “And my God, giving someone respect is low cost, even no cost... It is easy to give him the respect he really demands - and probably also deserves,” Schoenbach said, calling Russia an old and important country. Schoenbach conceded Russia’s actions in Ukraine needed to be addressed, Reuters adds, but also said that “the Crimea peninsula is gone, it will never come back, this is a fact.”
The German government on Saturday distanced itself from comments. A spokesperson for the Defense Ministry in Berlin said the remarks did not reflect Germany’s position in either content or wording, adding: “Admiral Schoenbach will get the opportunity to express his views to the chief of defense,” the spokesperson added.
Schoenbach apologized for his “rash” comments, published on YouTube and widely circulated on German media, and called them a mistake.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry called on Germany to publicly reject the navy chief’s comments.
