‘She ridicules all of Germany’

In the video, Lambrecht, barely audible due to the wind and the sound of exploding fireworks in the background, looks back “on a year that ended with a war raging in the middle of Europe”. According to the minister, the conflict in Ukraine had led to “many special experiences” and the chance of “many meetings with great and interesting people”. The clip, recorded in the middle of the street, is on Lambrecht’s personal Instagram page.

Lambrecht’s video received scathing criticism in the German press. Dagblad Der Tagesspiegel is of the opinion that Lambrecht’s position is “no longer tenable”. That she speaks about war while fireworks rockets and firecrackers explode in the background, “is the least of the problems”, according to the newspaper.

Even worse were the words of the Defense Minister. “Lambrecht does not mention Ukraine by name, nor does she speak of the sacrifices of the soldiers who have been defending their country for more than ten months. Wars don’t just “rage” like a natural phenomenon. A defense minister should know that: Russia is waging a criminal war of aggression against Ukraine. In the video it sounds like the war and its consequences are first and foremost an exciting professional experience for her, so many nice impressions and encounters! Anyone who talks about war in such a way is no longer tenable as a Defense Minister.”

‘She ridicules all of Germany’

The boulevard newspaper Bild also has few flattering words for the minister: “The minute-long message, filmed with a mobile phone, shamed Germany,” according to the daily. “The minister actually thanks Russia for the ‘many, many interesting meetings’ she has had thanks to the war. (…) Christine Lambrecht has succeeded in ruining the office of Minister of Defense and damaging the image of the entire ministry. If Chancellor Olaf Scholz does not intervene and replace his worst minister, she will ridicule the entire federal government and all of Germany. The Federal Republic cannot afford that. Not in peacetime, and certainly not today.”

In the context of the war in Ukraine, the video was “inappropriate and embarrassing,” writes Der Spiegel magazine. “How many embarrassments, mistakes and negligence can one member of government afford before Olaf Scholz loses his temper? The question arises whether the minister has lost touch with reality.” According to Der Spiegel, Lambrecht’s coalition partners from the liberal FDP and the Greens, and her close associates in the ministry, also find the video “particularly painful, but we can’t say that”.

“Does she still care about how Germany works?”

As a result, the German media are casting strong doubts on Lambrecht’s ability to lead Europe’s largest economy in restoring its long-neglected armed forces. “For this decades-long task, one would like to see a leader who puts joy and energy into defense policy, who exhorts the ministry and the troops and who uses public attention in favor of the armed forces,” said the Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Former CDU chancellorial candidate Armin Laschet, today in the opposition, wondered on Twitter whether Germany’s functioning in Europe and the world “actually still matters?”

The Social Democrat Lambrecht was already heavily criticized in January 2022 and was the target of scorn and ridicule for her promise that Germany would send 5,000 helmets to Kiev. The Ukrainian government asked for heavy weapons to defend against the threat of a Russian invasion. She would also not really be interested in the theme of defense at all.

At the end of last month, yet another disgrace followed when it turned out that the brand new hypermodern and very expensive German armored vehicles, the Pumas, had broken down after just one training session.

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