German Navy chief resigns following Ukraine comments

BERLIN — The head of the German Navy resigned late Saturday after coming under fire at home and abroad for comments he made on Ukraine and Russia.

Speaking at an event in India on Friday, Vice Adm. Kay-Achim Schönbach had said Ukraine would not regain the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014. Schönbach also said it was important to have Russia on the same side against China, and suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin deserved “respect.”

His comments, captured on video, caused anger in Ukraine, which summoned the German ambassador to complain. They also sparked consternation and a swift rebuke back in Berlin.

By late Saturday, Schönbach had asked for his dismissal, saying he wanted to prevent further damage resulting to Germany and its military from his “ill-considered statements.”

In a statement, the German Navy said Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht had accepted Schönbach’s resignation and appointed his deputy as interim naval chief.

The German government has insisted it stands united with its NATO allies on the issue of Russia’s military threat to Ukraine , warning that Moscow will pay a high price if it makes any military moves against its neighbor. But unlike many other NATO countries, Berlin says it won’t supply Ukraine with lethal weapons , arguing that it doesn’t want to inflame tensions further.

柏林——德国海军司令周六晚间辞职，此前他因对乌克兰和俄罗斯发表的言论而受到国内外的抨击。

周五，海军中将凯-阿希姆·舍恩巴赫在印度的一次活动上发表讲话时表示，乌克兰不会收复2014年被俄罗斯吞并的克里米亚半岛。舍恩巴赫还表示，与俄罗斯站在同一阵线对抗中国非常重要，并暗示俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京值得“尊重”。

他的言论被录像记录下来，在乌克兰引发了愤怒，乌克兰召见了德国大使进行抗议。这些言论也在柏林引起了震惊，并遭到迅速的谴责。

到周六晚些时候，舍恩巴赫要求被解雇，称他希望防止自己“欠考虑的言论”对德国及其军队造成进一步的损害。

德国海军在一份声明中表示，国防部长克里斯蒂娜·兰布雷希特已接受舍恩巴赫的辞呈，并任命其副手为临时海军司令。

德国政府坚称，在俄罗斯对乌克兰的军事威胁问题上，德国与北约盟国立场一致，并警告称，如果莫斯科对邻国采取任何军事行动，必将付出沉重代价。但与其他许多北约国家不同，柏林表示不会向乌克兰提供致命性武器，理由是不希望进一步加剧紧张局势。