Vice Admiral Schoenbach had expressed understanding for the Russian President Vladimir Putin during an appearance in India. “What he really wants is respect on an equal footing. And – my God – showing respect to someone costs next to nothing, costs nothing. So you’d ask me: It’s easy to give him the respect he demands – and probably deserves.”
He sees the greater threat in China, he said. “Even we, India, Germany, need Russia because we need Russia against China,” said Schönbach. He is a devout Catholic and Russia is a Christian country – “although Putin is an atheist, it doesn’t matter. Having this big country on our side as a bilateral partner, even if it is not a democracy, (…) may keep Russia away from China.”
“In terms of content and choice of words, the statements in no way correspond to the position of the Federal Ministry of Defense,” said a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense of the German Press Agency. Schönbach himself reported on Saturday via his official Twitter account: He described his statement as a “clear mistake” and as “imprudent, misjudged the situation”. Several media had previously reported on the process.