Crimea will never come back to Ukraine: German Navy chief
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The head of the German Navy expresses his belief that Crimea would never "return" to Ukraine.
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Chief of Germany's Navy, Vice Admiral Kay-Achim Schonbach
German Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Kay-Achim Schonbach said yesterday that Crimea, despite Kiev’s attempts to pressure Russia, will never return to Ukraine.
"Crimea is gone, and it will never come back," he said at a conference hosted by India's Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses.
As for the countries that want to be part of NATO, the Vice-Admiral said that Georgia meets the criteria for membership, but it joining the alliance is “illogical”, considering how this would impact its relations with Moscow.
In this regard, Schonbach said that India and Germany need Russia to confront the growing influence of China.
Crimea became part of Russia after a March 2014 referendum in which 96% of Crimeans voted to rejoin Russia. Ukraine claims that Crimea is a Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia.
Moscow has repeatedly stated that the decision made by the Crimean people was conducted in full compliance with international law and the UN Charter, and Russian President Vladimir Putin said in July 2018 that the Crimean issue is closed and not up for discussion.
