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Kay-Achim Schönbach: Ambassador of Ukraine criticizes statements by Navy chief

2022-01-23T06:50:27.301Z


Ukraine is outraged by the statements made by naval chief Schönbach, who is now about to step down. The German ambassador in Kiev was asked for an interview – and the delivery of weapons was again requested.


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Andriy Melnyk

Photo: Thomas Trutschel / photothek / imago images

The Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, has described the resignation of the German Navy chief Kay-Achim Schönbach because of controversial statements about the Ukraine conflict as insufficient. "We welcome the fact that Mr. Schönbach has offered his resignation," said Melnyk of the "world". However, the scandal left "a pile of fragments" behind and "massively called into question" Germany's international credibility and reliability.

Schönbach commented on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine during a visit to India on Friday.

He described the invasion of Russian troops in Ukraine feared by western states as “nonsense”.

What Russian President Vladimir Putin really wants is "respect at eye level," said the vice admiral.

"It's easy to give him the respect he wants - and probably deserves."

Schönbach also commented on the Ukrainian Crimea annexed by Russia in 2014.

"The Crimean peninsula is lost, it will never return," said Schönbach.

"Entire Ukrainian public in deep shock"

The ambassador criticized that Schönbach's statements had "sent the entire Ukrainian public into deep shock". Melnyk drew a comparison with the Nazi era: "With this condescending attitude, the Ukrainians unconsciously felt reminded of the horrors of the Nazi occupation, when the Ukrainians were treated as subhuman," he said.

Melnyk also spoke of a "cynical trivialization of the occupation of Crimea, which violates international law" and a haughty questioning of Ukraine's sovereignty. The statements by the Navy chief, who has since resigned, speak of "German arrogance and megalomania, with which one of the highest-ranking heads of the Bundeswehr dreams of a holy alliance with the war criminal Putin and a German-Russian modern crusade against China". Melnyk was referring to another statement by Schönbach, who had said: "We need Russia against China."

Schönbach submitted his resignation on Saturday after the scandal, which was accepted by Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD).

The Vice Admiral was relieved of his duties with immediate effect.

The Ukrainian government summoned the German ambassador to Kiev because of Schönbach's controversial statements.

"We are disappointed by Germany's continued refusal"

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba criticized the government's refusal to supply arms to his country. "We are disappointed by Germany's continued refusal to authorize the delivery of defensive arms to Ukraine, especially in the current situation," Kuleba told Welt am Sonntag. "We would be even more disappointed if Germany not only refused to supply us with defensive arms but also prevented others from doing so."

The US newspaper Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Germany was blocking the delivery of German arms through Estonia to Ukraine. Kueba stressed that Ukraine was not under an arms embargo. It has never planned offensive military operations and is not doing so now. The stronger Ukraine is now, the lower the risk of another military conflict with Russia. "We are a nation that has been under attack since 2014 and we just want to be able to defend ourselves and prevent a major conflict."

He respected German references to the past to explain current politics, but could not agree.

»Ukraine suffered immense losses and destruction in World War II.

Now that we are suffering and threatened again, the only appropriate policy is to allow us to defend ourselves”.

Germany has made mistakes against Ukraine in the past.

Part of Germany's responsibility is "to make the right decisions today."

dop/AFP/Reuters

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2022-01-23

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