German Defense Minister resigns after a series of lapses

German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht resigned from her post on Monday, following a series of lapses that cast doubt on her ability to perform her tasks of strengthening the armed forces in the wake of the war in Ukraine.

It was not immediately known who would succeed her in this position.

“Today I asked the chancellor to relieve me of the post of Federal Defense Minister,” Lambrecht said in a statement.

She blamed the media’s “personal fixation” for preventing her from making “decisions regarding security policies, including the interest of German citizens”.

She stressed that “the work of the military and a lot of people who enjoy the impulse should be at the fore” of attention, while Germany intends to invest 100 billion euros to modernize its army after the war in Ukraine.

The resignation came at a time when Germany is again under pressure to deliver tanks to Ukraine.

A meeting of the Western allies with the United States is held at the American base Ramstein in Germany. New aid to Ukraine is expected to be announced on this occasion.

Lambrecht, 57, was Minister of Justice in the previous government headed by Angela Merkel. A series of missteps have been made since the start of the war in Ukraine on February 24.

It drew criticism from the Ukrainian authorities by announcing that it had sent 5,000 helmets while President Volodymyr Zelensky was demanding heavy weapons.

She was also ridiculed and criticized for a video recording of congratulations on the occasion of the New Year.

And she appeared in the recording in the center of Berlin, amid strong winds, talking about the war in Ukraine, while firecrackers and fireworks sounded on the occasion of New Year’s Day.