BERLIN (AP) — Germany has appointed a senior lawmaker with one of the country's governing parties as its new ambassador to Russia, handing him the delicate diplomatic post as tensions spiral over Moscow's war in Ukraine.

The Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that Russia has given its formal approval for Alexander Lambsdorff to become ambassador, a necessary step before he can take the post. It said that he is expected to start work this summer.

Lambsdorff, 56, has experience in Germany's diplomatic service, which he joined in 1995. He worked in the Foreign Ministry's Russia department in 2003 and 2004.

In recent years, he has been better known as a prominent politician. He was a member of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2017 before joining the German parliament. He is currently a deputy leader of the parliamentary group of the Free Democrats, the smallest of three parties in Germany's governing coalition.

Germany's relations with Moscow have become increasingly chilly since Russia invaded Ukraine last year. Berlin has become one of the leading Western suppliers of arms to Ukraine.

Last month, the German government told Russia to close four out of its five consulates general in Germany in a tit-for-tat move after Moscow set a limit for the number of staff at the German Embassy and related bodies in Russia.

The German government's first national security strategy, released last week, declares that Russia is the greatest security threat “for the foreseeable future.”

Lambsdorff will replace outgoing Ambassador Géza Andreas von Geyr, who has been in the post since September 2019.