National flag of the Federal Republic of GermanyBERLIN, Jan 22 Kai-Achim Schönbach’s Navy that “Crimea cannot be returned” and that Russian President Vladimir Putin “deserves respect.” Earlier, speaking in India, Vice Admiral and Commander of the German Navy Kai-Achim Schönbach said that Crimea would never return to Ukraine : «The Crimean peninsula is gone, it will not return.» Regarding Western accusations against Russia that Moscow could allegedly plan to destabilize Ukraine, the Vice Admiral said that this was «nonsense.» India and Germany need Russia to confront the PRC, said Schönbach, who noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants «respect on an equal footing» from the West, and «it is easy to give him (Putin — ed.) the respect that he demands — and which he, probably deserves it.» «The statements (by Vice Admiral Schönbach — ed.) in terms of content and choice of words in no way correspond to the position of the Federal Ministry of Defense,» the press service of the Ministry of Defense told dpa, commenting on the commander's statement. Schönbach himself said on Saturday on the social network Twitter that his statements were «an obvious mistake» and «reckless, misjudged in this situation.» The Russian Federation has repeatedly stated that it is open to dialogue with the West on the basis of mutual respect, but it is not her fault for the deterioration of relations.The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned the German ambassador due to Berlin's refusal to supply weapons
