BERLIN, Jan 22 (Reuters) – The head of Germany’s Navy resigned on Saturday after saying Russian President Vladimir Putin deserved respect and that Crimea, annexed by Moscow, would never return to Ukraine.
“I have asked Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht to relieve me of my duties with immediate effect,” Vice Admiral Kay-Achim Schoenbach said in a statement. “The minister accepted my request.”
Kay-Achim Schoenbach made his controversial remarks during an intervention before a think-tank in India on Friday, which resulted in the dissemination of videos on social networks. His comments came amid a tense backdrop that has seen Russia muster tens of thousands of troops on Ukraine’s borders.
While diplomatic efforts try to avoid an escalation, Russia has assured that it has no intention of invading Ukraine.
“What he (Putin) really wants is respect,” Kay-Achim Schoenbach said in New Delhi, speaking in English.
“And my God, giving someone respect is inexpensive, even free (…) It’s easy to give them the respect they really ask for – and probably deserve too,” the chef added. of the German Navy, calling Russia an old and important country.
Kay-Achim Schoenbach acknowledged that Russia’s actions in Ukraine need to be addressed. “The Crimean peninsula is gone, it will never come back, that’s a fact,” he added, however, contradicting the Western position that Moscow’s annexation of the peninsula to Ukraine in 2014 cannot be accepted and must be cancelled.
Prior to Kay-Achim Schoenbach’s resignation, the Defense Ministry publicly criticized his remarks, saying they did not reflect Germany’s position either in content or wording.
“My thoughtless remarks in India (…) are putting more and more strain on my office,” admitted Kay-Achim Schoenbach. “I consider (that my resignation is) necessary to prevent further damage to the German navy, to the German forces and, in particular, to the Federal Republic of Germany.”
Ukraine’s foreign ministry had called on Germany to publicly reject the navy chief’s comments, which Kiev said could hamper Western efforts to de-escalate the situation.
“Ukraine is grateful to Germany for the support it has already provided since 2014, as well as for the diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict. But Germany’s current statements are disappointing and go against this support and efforts,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.
(Report Sabine Siebold, French version Benjamin Mallet)