Schonbach got in hot water over a number of comments, including a suggestion that Russian President Vladimir Putin “probably” deserved respect.
A video of his speech at think tank Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defense Studies and Analysis was posted on YouTube on Friday. In it the Vice-Admiral is heard saying: “Is Russia really interested in … a small, tiny strip of Ukraine’s soil? No, that’s nonsense.”
“What he really wants is respect. And my god, giving someone respect is low cost, even no cost… so if I was asked, it was easy to give him that respect too. What it really demands, and probably deserves too,” he said, “Russia is an old country. Russia is an important country. Even we, India, Germany, we need Russia, Because we need Russia against China.
The comment drew criticism in Germany and abroad. Ukraine’s foreign affairs minister has summoned the German ambassador to Ukraine over the comments, saying it “strongly rejects” Schönbach’s statements on Crimea never returning to Ukraine.
Schonbach said the comments he made during the conversation reflected his personal opinion “at that moment” and “they do not coincide in any way with the official position of the Defense Ministry.”
However, he said the remarks were “increasingly weighing on my office” and so he decided to resign.
Schonbach, officially known as an Inspector of the Navy, took over as the Chief of the Navy in March last year, after more than 35 years in the Navy. He served as the commanding officer of NATO Maritime Group 2, NATO’s Permanent Marine Immediate Response Force.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock told reporters earlier this week that Germany often restricts arms exports to areas of crisis.
“Germany has a special tradition of showing great restraint when it comes to arms and arms exports to crisis areas,” she said. “We have tried to handle the responsibility in different ways. For example, we helped expand the military hospital.”
CNN’s Vasco Kotovio in London and Daria Tarasova in Moscow contributed reporting.
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