Germany names Boris Pistorius as new defense minister
Berlin, Jan 17 (EFE).- The German government unveiled Boris Pistorius as its new defense minister on Tuesday following the resignation of Christine Lambrecht, whose tenure was marred by PR blunders and criticism over her handling of the war in Ukraine.
Pistorius, a member of chancellor Olaf Scholz’s center-left Social Democratic Party (SDP), was until now the interior minister for the state of Lower Saxony.
Scholz described Pistorius as an “outstanding politician.”
He added in a statement: “Pistorius is an extremely experienced politician who is experienced in administration, has been dealing with security policy for years and, with his competence, his assertiveness and his big heart, is exactly the right person to lead the government through this turning point.”
Pistorius will take the reins from Lambrecht, a fellow SPD member whose decision to step down on Monday put an end to a tenure dogged by criticism.
The outgoing defense chief provided fresh ammunition to her detractors after she discussed the Ukraine war in a New Year’s video to the backdrop of noisy fireworks, with critics calling it “tone deaf.”
Lambrecht also came under scrutiny for her allegedly hesitant reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Her offer of helmets to Ukraine in the early days of the war was dismissed as a “joke” by Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko.
The minister had also been at the heart of a debate over the deployment of German Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, with Lambrecht saying last week that no decision had been reached as yet despite urgent calls from Kyiv. EFE
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