BERLIN — German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said she will step down following a series of missteps and days of speculation over her future, a blow to Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government as it weighs crucial decisions on arming Ukraine.
In a brief statement published Monday by her ministry, Lambrecht said she asked Scholz to relieve her of her cabinet post, blaming intense media reporting as an unacceptable distraction. Scholz said he had “great respect” for the decision, thanked Lambrecht for her service and promised to name a successor swiftly.
“This is not the day of course, for good reasons, to talk about how things will go forward,” Scholz told reporters during a visit to a defense contractor in Ulm. “But I want to tell you that I have a clear idea and this will be communicated to everybody very quickly.”
