Editor's Pick: When a German Admiral goes off script

The German Navy Chief, Vice Admiral Kay-Achim Schönbach, made some unexpectedly explosive comments on Friday on China, Russia, Ukraine and Crimea during his India visit, which has had major repercussions back home for him. He was speaking at an interactive session at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in Delhi when he said that Ukraine has permanently lost Crimea to Russia and that it would be good to show some respect to Vladimir Putin over his stance on Ukraine. In a development that came after the report had gone to print, the Vice-Admiral has resigned over the incident. This development comes amid a tense standoff between Russia and the U.S.-led NATO over Ukraine. The country on the Black Sea coast is an aspiring NATO member whose Crimean Peninsula was annexed by northern neighbour Russia in 2014. While Russian President Mr. Putin has said that he has no plans to invade Ukraine, he is using the 100,000 troops he has amassed on its border as a bargaining chip to demand that NATO pull out of its neigbouring nations that have joined the alliance since the fall of the Soviet Union. Germany, a NATO-member, is in a precarious position on this issue. While it has publicly taken an anti-Russia stance, it has also prevented arms from being sent to Ukraine. Russia is said to supply nearly half of Germany's gas, which produces about 15 % of the country's electricity and is also needed for domestic heating. A threat to the gas supply or a hike in prices due to war will have a major impact on the German economy, and the new Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been trying to dial down tensions. It is in this context that the Vice-Admiral's comment has been delivered, upsetting Germany's carefully laid out position. The Ukrainian Foreign Minister has already expressed dismay over the comments. The vast geopolitical implications of these comments made in India are what makes this story important. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor's Pick and more. Click hereThe Hindu Explains Explained | Why is 5G rollout a problem near U.S. airports? Explained | What can cause an aircraft to fly into terrain? Try out The Hindu's daily news quiz The Amar Jawan Jyoti was inaugurated to commemorate which important event in India’s history? 1. 1965 Indo-Pakistan War 2. 1999 Kargil conflict 3. 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War 4. 2019 Balakot strikes To find out the answer and play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 23 JANUARY 2022 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]( [Open in browser]( [Mail icon]( [More newsletters]( When a German Admiral goes off script [When a German Admiral goes off script] The German Navy Chief, [Vice Admiral Kay-Achim Schönbach, made some unexpectedly explosive comments]( on Friday on China, Russia, Ukraine and Crimea during his India visit, which has had major repercussions back home for him. He was speaking at an interactive session at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in Delhi when he said that Ukraine has permanently lost Crimea to Russia and that it would be good to show some respect to Vladimir Putin over his stance on Ukraine. In a development that came after the report had gone to print, the Vice-Admiral has resigned over the incident. This development comes amid a [tense standoff between Russia and the U.S.-led NATO over Ukraine](. The country on the Black Sea coast is an aspiring NATO member whose Crimean Peninsula was annexed by northern neighbour Russia in 2014. While Russian President Mr. Putin has said that he has no plans to invade Ukraine, he is using the 100,000 troops he has amassed on its border as a bargaining chip to demand that NATO pull out of its neigbouring nations that have joined the alliance since the fall of the Soviet Union. Germany, a NATO-member, is in a precarious position on this issue. While it has publicly taken an anti-Russia stance, it has also prevented arms from being sent to Ukraine. Russia is said to supply nearly half of Germany's gas, which produces about 15 % of the country's electricity and is also needed for domestic heating. A threat to the gas supply or a hike in prices due to war will have a major impact on the German economy, and the new Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been trying to dial down tensions. It is in this context that the Vice-Admiral's comment has been delivered, upsetting Germany's carefully laid out position. The Ukrainian Foreign Minister has already expressed dismay over the comments. The vast geopolitical implications of these comments made in India are what makes this story important. [underlineimg] Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor's Pick and more. [Click here]( The Hindu Explains [Arrow][Explained | Why is 5G rollout a problem near U.S. airports?]( [Arrow][Explained | What can cause an aircraft to fly into terrain?]( [underlineimg] Try out The Hindu's daily news quiz The Amar Jawan Jyoti was inaugurated to commemorate which important event in India’s history? 1. 1965 Indo-Pakistan War 2. 1999 Kargil conflict 3. 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War 4. 2019 Balakot strikes To find out the answer and play the full quiz, [click here](. 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