January 17, 2023: On Monday, German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht tendered her resignation amid scrutiny more than Berlin’s answer to the war in Ukraine.

“Today I asked the Chancellor to be removed from the role of defence minister,” Lambrecht stated in a statement, according to a translation.

Her step down comes as Germany mulls whether to increase military support to Ukraine to help Kyiv’s armed forces against the Russian onslaught.

“The attention from the media more than months on my person hardly permits for objective and discussion regarding the soldiers, the armed forces and the different for security policy in the interest of Germany’s citizens,” Lambrecht stated.

“The value of the soldiers and the many motivated people in the industry need to be at the forefront. I, therefore, am planning to make my post available,” she added. “I thank everyone who engages themselves for my security every daytime and sincerely wish them the best of luck for the future.”

Lambrecht, a senior in German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party, had faced sustained forces over her credibility to lead the company’s armed forces.

Over the weekend, multiple media outlets stated that Lambrecht’s resignation could be imminent following missteps.

It still needs to be determined who will succeed Lambrecht as defence minister.

According to Reuters, a government spokesperson said Germany’s Scholz had accepted Lambrecht’s resignation as defence minister, with a successor to be proposed soon.

German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported that Lambrecht’s successor would be announced on Tuesday, citing government sources. Some of the possible contenders, Reuters reported, include Germany’s Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces, Eva Hoegl, junior defence minister Siemtje Moeller, SPD party prime Lars Klingbeil and Labour Minister Hubertus Heil.