German Navy Chief Resigns After Saying Ukraine Won’t Get Crimea Back And Putin ‘Probably’ Deserves Respect

Topline

Germany’s top naval officer stepped down Saturday following comments he made about Russia, including a call to show respect to Russian President Vladimir Putin and claiming Ukraine would never win Crimea back from Russia.

Key Facts

Vice Admiral Kay-Achim Schoenbach apologized for his “rash” comments and said they were a mistake in a tweet, and added in a statement to multiple news outlets his “position is increasingly burdened by the ill-advised comments on security and military policy.”

Schoenbach asked German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht to relieve him of his duties effective immediately, which he said she did, according to the statement.

Schoenbach’s comments drew criticism from the German and Ukrainian governments after a video recording of him speaking at an event in India surfaced earlier this week.

During the talk, he said Putin “probably” deserved respect and that while Russia’s actions in Ukraine need to be addressed, he said “the Crimea Peninsula is gone: It will never come back — this is a fact,” German broadcaster Deutsche Welle reports.

Crucial Quote

“What he really wants is respect,” Scheonbach said of Putin while speaking at the event in India, which was uploaded on YouTube. “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.”

Chief Critic

Reuters reports the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry called on Germany to publicly reject Schoenbach’s comments. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a series of tweets Ukraine is “grateful” for Germany’s efforts to resolve the conflict. “But Germany’s current statements are disappointing and run counter to that support and effort,” Kuleba said. In response, a spokesperson for Germany’s Defense Ministry said in a statement to Reuters that Schoenbach’s remarks did not reflect Germany’s position in “either content or wording.” Ukraine also reportedly summoned Germany’s foreign ambassador to protest Schoenbach’s comments earlier on Saturday, according to Bloomberg.

Key Background

Tensions between Russia, Ukraine and NATO allies have increased as Russia has massed roughly 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border, prompting fears of a potential invasion like the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014. Russia has publicly demanded that NATO pledge to never admit Ukraine as a member, that NATO alliance weapons never be deployed near the Russian border and for NATO troops to be pulled back from Central and Eastern Europe. The U.S. and NATO dismissed these demands earlier this month, saying Russia should have no say in which countries should be allowed to join the alliance. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke on Friday and agreed that the U.S. would provide a written response to Russia’s demands before further diplomatic discussions.

Further Reading

German navy chief Schönbach resigns over comments on Putin, Crimea (Deutsche Welle)

Germany distances itself from navy chief’s comments on Putin (Reuters)

US And Russia On ‘Clearer Path’ To Diplomacy On Ukraine, Blinken Says (Forbes)