Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said during a visit to Canada on May 27 that NATO countries should not act like “a rabbit seeing a snake” when dealing with the United States.
Speaking at a defense and security exhibition in Canada, Pistorius called on NATO allies to “decisively” ramp up their military capabilities to navigate the increasingly uncertain relationship with Washington. He also stressed that allies must follow through on their NATO defense commitments and focus more on “what they can do themselves.”
A photo from April 11 shows German Defense Minister Pistorius speaking at a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels after a meeting of the Ukraine Contact Group defense ministers.
During his visit, Pistorius held talks with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and other officials on topics including security cooperation, support for Ukraine, and the upcoming NATO summit.
Pistorius used the visit to heavily promote a jointly developed submarine by Germany and Norway to Canada. According to reports, Canada plans to purchase 12 submarines in a deal worth billions of dollars, with a decision between Germany and South Korea expected by the end of June.
Pistorius previously would continue to the US after visiting Canada, but this time he skipped Washington entirely, highlighting growing rifts between the two allies. Recently, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s criticism of the Iran war angered US President Donald Trump, prompting Washington to announce the withdrawal of thousands of US troops from Germany, further straining bilateral ties.
