German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht intends to resign, German government source says. Reported by the Financial Times. The official decided to take such a step after a series of mistakes that damaged her authority as the commander-in-chief of the country's armed forces..

The source claims Lambrecht could announce his decision as early as next week.. Her resignation will bring uncertainty as it comes at a time when Germany is at the crossroads of making a major decision on whether to break a long-standing policy of supplying Ukraine with battle tanks - a move Chancellor Olaf Scholz still hasn't decided to take..

According to the publication, Lambrecht is considered a weak leader for such an important moment in history..

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Scholz government promised a massive increase in military spending and created a €100 billion investment fund for the Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces, marking a new stage after years of underfunding..

But the new equipment and weapons systems that Scholz promised for the military never materialized, and it was Lambrecht who was often accused of delaying the implementation of plans..

Dissatisfaction with the poor condition of the Bundeswehr peaked after last month's exercise, when all 18 Puma infantry vehicles involved in them were disabled.. Puma is one of the most modern and advanced pieces of military equipment..

The daily newspaper Bild Zeitung was the first to announce Lambrecht's intention to resign, noting that the minister made this decision on her own..

Possible successors to Lambrecht include Eva Hogl, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces, and Zimte Moeller, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of Defence..

Other possible successors also include the name of Lars Klingbeil, leader of Lambrecht's party, the Social Democrats (SPD), who comes from a military family. However, Klingbeil's chances are considered slim as Scholz seeks to have an equal number of male and female ministers in his cabinet, and bringing in an SPD leader would upset the gender balance..

Lambrecht was for a long time one of the least popular ministers in Scholz's cabinet.. However, calls for her resignation intensified after a disastrous New Year's Eve Instagram address in which she addressed viewers to the sound of fireworks and firecrackers exploding in central Berlin..

In the video, she recalled the war that is raging in Ukraine, and then added that the conflict for her is associated with " Even close party allies criticized the appeal..

“After that fiasco, she was already the walking dead,” said the source.

After the scandal, the opposition Christian Democrats urged Scholz to fire Lambrecht immediately, but he did not..

Just a few days ago, his speaker stated that the chancellor has good and trusting relations with all his cabinet colleagues, and " In a December interview, Scholz called her " The Instagram fail is the latest in a series of mistakes that have ruined Lambrecht's reputation.

In December 2021, she admitted in an interview that she did not know the names of army ranks, and five months later she told another newspaper that she still had not learned them..

Shortly after the start of the war in Ukraine, she became the object of ridicule after, in response to a question about whether Germany would provide military assistance to Kyiv, she announced that she would send five thousand helmets to Kyiv..

A flurry of criticism hit her even after she flew away on vacation with her son in a government helicopter. Despite the fact that she paid for the flight herself, the reaction of the society turned out to be very destructive both for the image of Lambrecht herself and for the ministry she leads..

Many experts have said that Lambrecht never really wanted to be secretary of defense - she would like to be appointed secretary of the interior.. In a recent poll by Civey for t-online, 77% of those who voted were in favor of firing her, while only 13% said she should stay in office..