German defence chief to visit Canada for talks on submarine deal

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius is set to begin a five-day visit to Canada on May 26, with talks expected to focus heavily on a major submarine contract for German shipbuilder TKMS.

The trip is widely seen as part of Berlin’s effort to strengthen defence cooperation with Ottawa, as several European Union countries deepen security ties with Canada amid growing strains in transatlantic relations under US President Donald Trump, DW reports.

At the centre of Pistorius’s agenda is a push for Canada to award a contract for the construction of 12 submarines to ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems.

The visit comes shortly after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney attended the European Political Community defence summit earlier this month, becoming the first non-European leader to do so.

Pistorius also announced that he would cancel a planned trip to Washington that had been scheduled after his Canada visit. German media reports cited the absence of US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth from Washington as the reason for the change, saying a meeting between the two would not have been possible.

By Sabina Mammadli