Christine Lambrecht Resigns As German Defense Minister Amid Ukraine Criticism

Christine Lambrecht has stepped down from her role as German defense minister following criticism of her New Year’s eve message.

EKO HOT BLOG reports that the German Defense Minister, Christine Lambrecht has resigned following persistent criticism of her handling of military modernisation programmes and the country’s arms deliveries to Ukraine.

Lambrecht said in a statement Monday that she had submitted her resignation request to Chancellor Olaf Scholz, saying that “months of media focus on my person” had stood in the way of a factual debate about the military and Germany’s security policy.

EDITOR’S PICKS

• China Reiterates Call For Peace Talks To End Crisis In Ukraine

• Putin Orders Ceasefire In Ukraine

• War: Ukrainian Strike Hits Russian Barracks In Occupied Regions

“The valuable work of the soldiers and many people in my department must stand in the foreground,” she said.

There was no immediate word on a possible replacement.

The 57-year-old has been defense minister since Scholz became chancellor in December 2021.

Critics have long portrayed her as out of her depth but Scholz stood by her, describing her last month as “a first-class defense minister.” Pressure on her mounted recently after an ill-judged New Year’s video message.

Lambrecht’s resignation comes at a sensitive moment, as Scholz faces mounting pressure to make another significant step forward in German military aid to Ukraine by agreeing to deliver Leopard 2 battle tanks.

Earlier this month, Germany agreed to provide 40 Marder armoured personnel carriers and a Patriot air defense missile battery to Kyiv.

Germany has given Ukraine substantial support in recent months, including howitzers, Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns and the first of four IRIS-T surface-to-air missile systems. But critics, some inside Germany’s governing coalition, have long complained of Scholz’s perceived hesitancy to step up aid. Lambrecht was overshadowed on the issue by the chancellor, who made most major announcements.

Lambrecht was then Finance Minister Scholz’s deputy before being appointed justice minister in 2019. She also was minister for families and women in the closing months of then Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government.

She was respected in those roles but was widely viewed as one of the Scholz government’s weakest links at the Defense Ministry.

The notoriously unwieldy department has a history of diminishing ministers’ reputations.
Its importance increased with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

That prompted Scholz to announce a special 100 billion-euro ($108 billion) fund to upgrade the German military, the Bundeswehr, which has suffered for years from neglect and in particular from aging, poorly functioning equipment.

FURTHER READING

• War: US Announces New $3bn Military Assistance Package For Ukraine

• War: Ukraine Says Russia Preparing 200000 Fresh Troops To Attack Kyiv

• Goblin Mode’ Revealed As Oxford Word Of The Year 2022

She said officials have moved fast but that “such projects must be carefully negotiated — this is tax money.”

Click here to watch our video of the week:

---

Advertise or Publish a Story on EkoHot Blog:

Kindly contact us at [email protected]. Breaking stories should be sent to the above email and substantiated with pictorial evidence.

Citizen journalists will receive a token as data incentive.

Call or Whatsapp: 0803 561 7233, 0703 414 5611