German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht resigns
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Lambrecht has recently been scrutinized for mishandling the country's defense policies and addressing the war in Ukraine lightly.
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Christine Lambrecht gestures as she speaks during a session of Germany's lower house of parliament, in German. (Reuters)
Christine Lambrecht, Germany's Defence Minister, resigned on Monday after a series of gaffes raised concerns about her capacity to lead the country in revitalizing its long-neglected military forces amid the Ukraine crisis.
In a statement, Lambrecht stated, "Today I asked the chancellor to dismiss me from the office of Federal Minister of Defence."
She further blamed the "months-long media focus on my person" for preventing her from making "security policy decisions in the interest of the citizens of Germany."
A flashback
Published in the German newspaper The Bild, a poll conducted by the Institute for New Social Answers (INSA) has previously shown that two-thirds of Germans want Christine Lambrecht to step down as Defense Minister of Germany - amounting to 64%.
Only 15% selected her to stay in her position and a mere 9% described her performance as positive. On the other hand, 59% of Germans who participated in the poll disapproved of her performance as defense minister.
Lambrecht has recently been scrutinized for mishandling the country's defense policies and addressing the war in Ukraine lightly.
The Defense Minister reflected on a year ending with "war raging in the middle of Europe," stressing that the Ukraine conflict led to "a lot of special experiences" and mentioned the chance for "many encounters with great and interesting people."
Her message failed to "hit the right tone" as it made the war sound like an "exciting professional experience," the Tagesspiegel daily wrote.
Lambrecht weakens Scholz
During an interview with the Muenchner Merkur, the leaders of the German conservatives Friedrich Merz and Markus Soeder expressed that as long as Lambrecht was in her position, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz would have his power weakened.
Wolfgang Buechner, a spokesperson for the German Chancellor, however, assured last week that Scholz's confidence in Lambrecht is unshakeable and is against her departing her position.
Back in November, a Washington Post poll revealed Germans' deep cultural aversion to military intervention in Ukraine, and the newspaper considered that "Russia – in its attempt to use energy as a weapon – has reduced gas supplies to Europe. As a result, prices have soared to ten times their previous levels and supplies are simply running out."
The newspaper concluded from the polls that energy prices are not the main issue. It turns out, as other polls have found, that while the Germans support Ukraine in the war, they believe that "Germany has already done enough."
A secret report prepared by the German Ministry of Defense and handed over to the Defense Committee in the Bundestag revealed that the country's military was suffering from a lack of arms, equipment, and operations. The report said the German military could only sufficiently carry out its NATO duties only within a certain scope, as it is facing extreme hardship in fulfilling its commitments to the alliance.
