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Lambrecht resigns as Berlin faces tank pressure
Summary
A look back at the German defence minister's departure on 16 January 2023, two days after London's tank pledge to Ukraine.
What did the resignation of Germany's defence minister signal for Kyiv's allies? On 16 January 2023, Christine Lambrecht left the Scholz cabinet amid criticism of her response to the war in Ukraine.
The timing stood out. Two days earlier, on 14 January 2023, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed that the United Kingdom would send 14 Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine in the coming weeks, along with 30 self-propelled AS-90 howitzers. Ukrainian troops were also to be trained by the British Armed Forces to operate the tanks.
The two events were separate, and the reports do not link them. But together they showed allied governments handling the war in different ways: London committing specific equipment and training, while Berlin's defence minister left her post under criticism over her handling of the conflict.
For Ukraine's partners, the day left a clear question about who would now steer German defence policy. The reports from 16 January 2023 did not answer it.
