German Navy chief Kay-Achim Schönbach resigned on Saturday night after he was discredited over comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin. That report German media. Schonbach said, among other things, that Putin deserves respect and called it “a fact” that Ukraine will never get back the Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia.
In the video, the vice admiral said during a meeting in India that Putin seeks respect and that it is easy for Western powers to give. After the images were shown on YouTube and television, the German government openly distanced itself from Schönbach’s statements. The Defense Ministry said the statements did not reflect Berlin’s views and potentially undermine Germany’s and the West’s position vis-à-vis Russia.
When there was a fuss, Schönbach apologies to and tendered his resignation. That was immediately accepted by the Ministry of Defense. According to him, these were personal opinions expressed during a discussion.
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The statements came at a sensitive time. Russia has gathered about 100,000 troops along the border with Ukraine. The United States and several European countries fear that the Kremlin is preparing a military invasion of Ukraine. The West has warned that Putin will pay a heavy price if he does so. Russia denies that it intends to invade.