Germany’s Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht has resigned from her post following a series of blunders and public relations disasters.

The move comes as Berlin faces increasing pressure to allow the delivery of German-built battle tanks to Ukraine.

Ms. Lambrecht, a member of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD), was widely criticized for her announcement that Germany was supporting Ukraine by sending 5,000 military helmets and for failing to improve Germany’s notoriously ill-equipped armed forces despite the allocation of €100bn (£88bn) for that task following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Furthermore, Ms. Lambrecht faced backlash for taking her son on a trip in a military helicopter, and for an awkward video she posted on New Year’s Eve which triggered widespread contempt and undermined her support within political circles, in which she talked about the positive personal encounters she had enjoyed during the war in Ukraine, while fireworks exploded around her in Berlin.

In a resignation statement, Ms. Lambrecht said that “months of media focus on me doesn’t allow for fact-based reporting and discussion about soldiers, the army and security policy in the interest of German citizens.”

She added that “the valuable work of the soldiers and many motivated people in the defense area needs to be in the foreground.”