— German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is set to meet U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in Washington on September 15, after Hegseth declined to meet him earlier this year, POLITICO reports.The talks will coincide with Pistorius’ U.S. trip for the rollout of Germany’s first F-35 fighter jets and are expected to cover the recent attempted Russian drone attack in Germany and the Pentagon’s review of the U.S. military presence in Europe.
The meeting comes amid deteriorating U.S.-German relations following President Trump’s spontaneous decision in May to withdraw 5,000 American troops from Germany after Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized the U.S. war with Iran.
