Helmut Schmidt thought the Russian intervention in Ukraine was justified

Interesting quotation from the Economist's obituary five years ago of Helmut Schmidt, who apparently thought Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine was justified.

"As publisher of Die Zeit, Germany’s most heavyweight weekly, he became its leading commentator—more influential there in shaping opinion, perhaps, than as an embattled chancellor. He deplored worries about climate change: population growth was a far bigger problem. Intervention in other countries’ affairs was a mistake (though he made an exception for Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine: that was a justified response to Western meddling)."

Helmut Schmidt also said in an interview with “Bild” in 2014 that it was “megalomania” on the part of the European Commission to want to annex Ukraine. 

He called for more restraint from the EU:

“You are presenting Ukraine with the apparent choice of having to choose between West and East”

and warned of a war between Nato and Russia. 

Even though he was a Social Democrat, I always liked Schmidt (much more than Giscard and infinitely more than Frau Merkel who is also a social democrat).