The logbook
A defence minister’s diplomacy happens in ministries, on military bases and at conference tables. This logbook records documented visits, meetings and agreements since January 2023.
A Selected engagements
Visits, meetings and agreements, 2023–2026
| Date | Place | Engagement | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19–20 Jan 2023 | Berlin & Ramstein | Receives US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin; attends the Ukraine Defence Contact Group | First international engagements on his first two days in office |
| 7 Feb 2023 | Kyiv, Ukraine | First visit to Ukraine as minister | Talks on tank deliveries and air defence |
| 18 Mar 2023 | Tokyo, Japan | First German–Japanese government consultations, with Chancellor Scholz | Closer security cooperation with Japan |
| 6 Jun 2023 | New Delhi, India | Talks with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during a four-day visit | Industrial cooperation, including submarines, discussed |
| 26 Jun 2023 | Vilnius, Lithuania | Visit to German troops and the Lithuanian government | Announces readiness to station a brigade permanently |
| 28 Sep 2023 | Berlin | Signing with Israel’s defence ministry | Contract for the Arrow 3 missile defence system |
| 18 Dec 2023 | Lithuania | Meeting with the Lithuanian defence minister | Bilateral roadmap for the brigade signed |
| Aug 2024 | South Korea & the Philippines | Indo-Pacific trip | Germany joins the UN Command in Korea; plan for a defence cooperation agreement with Manila |
| 23 Oct 2024 | London, UK | Signing with Defence Secretary John Healey | Trinity House Agreement on defence |
| 12 Feb 2025 | Brussels, NATO HQ | Co-chairs the Ukraine Defence Contact Group; meets Pete Hegseth | Germany and the UK take over leadership of the group |
| 14 Feb 2025 | Munich | Munich Security Conference | Rejects US Vice President Vance’s remarks; meets India’s S. Jaishankar |
| 22 May 2025 | Vilnius, Lithuania | Stand-up parade of Panzerbrigade 45, with Chancellor Merz | Brigade receives its unit flag |
| 24–25 Jun 2025 | The Hague, Netherlands | NATO summit | 5% of GDP spending commitment by 2035 |
| 9 Sep 2025 | London, UK | Ukraine Defence Contact Group | €300 million initiative for Ukrainian long-range drones |
| 13 Feb 2026 | Munich | With President Zelensky at Quantum Frontline Industries | First German-built Linza 3.0 drone handed over |
| 21–23 Apr 2026 | Berlin | Hosts India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh | Defence industrial cooperation roadmap signed on 22 April |
| 15–18 Sep 2026 | Washington, New York, Fort Worth | Pentagon talks with Pete Hegseth; visit to Lockheed Martin | US–German memorandum of understanding on defence cooperation |
| 25 Sep 2026 | Hungary | Talks with his new counterpart, Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi | Military cooperation discussed |
Sources: Federal Ministry of Defence press releases; Ministry of Defence of India; UK Ministry of Defence; Lithuanian and Hungarian news agencies; dpa reporting.
B Case study
India: from first visit to a roadmap
India illustrates how Pistorius’s diplomacy connects security and industry. On his June 2023 visit to New Delhi he discussed defence industrial cooperation, including India’s plans to acquire new conventional submarines, with Rajnath Singh.
Three years later, during Singh’s visit to Germany from 21 to 23 April 2026, the two ministers signed a defence industrial cooperation roadmap in Berlin. In between, the two countries’ leaders and foreign ministers met regularly, including on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
Standing formats
NATO
Meetings of NATO defence ministers several times a year, and the annual summits: Vilnius 2023, Washington 2024, The Hague 2025.
European Union
EU defence ministers’ meetings in the Foreign Affairs Council, and work on joint procurement and the European defence industry.
Contact groups
The Ukraine Defence Contact Group, co-chaired with the United Kingdom since February 2025, and smaller coalitions on air defence and drones.