Germany ready to sign ‘forward leaning’ deal with India for submarines: German Ambassador to India

Germany is ready to sign a “forward leaning” deal with India for six submarines worth $8 billion, said its new ambassador to India, Jasper Wieck. Speaking to journalists at his residence on Wednesday (September 23, 2026), Mr. Wieck described Russia as the “aggressor” because of its actions in Ukraine amid the war and said that India can play a role in bringing the crisis to an end, as New Delhi enjoys positive relations with both Kyiv and Moscow.

Mr. Wieck pointed out that both Germany and India have increased investments in their military capabilities because of the worldwide situation that he described as an “unfriendly geostrategic environment”. Germany’s Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems and India’s Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders are in talks to build six submarines for India, and the envoy said that Germany has eased barriers that had posed a challenge in defence cooperation with India.

In final stages

“From the German side, we should sign tomorrow,” said Mr. Wieck describing the deal as one in its final stages. “The government has agreed to all the documents that have been worked on, in particular, the G2G agreement, the inter-governmental agreement which is a very ambitious and is very forward-leaning with regard to Indian requests,” remarked Mr. Wieck.

“I think, it’s the Cabinet Committee on Security that has to give its final approval and this is still awaited,” he said further detailing the situation of the inter-governmental agreement.

The submarine deal will give a “big boost” to the existing partnership between India and Germany, Mr. Wieck said. He highlighted the uncertainties and challenges in the current world order and said Russia had been preparing for the Ukraine crisis for a long time as it had not reconciled to the post-Cold War strategic scenario and that the sanctions and pressure on Russia’s energy supplies is the right approach in dealing with Moscow as it had acted as the “aggressor”. “Russia has wrecked the trust with its revisionist policies,” said the German ambassador.

The envoy emphasised the need for a “political process” in bringing the Ukraine crisis to an end and said India too should play a role. “I would say yes, we would love to see India involved in bringing that war to an end. First of all, you are a powerful country so your voice is heard by everyone. What PM Modi said on the war has been very helpful — not an era of war and that the war should end,” said Mr. Wieck.

“I would say that India, since it has these very established and long-term contacts and partnerships with Russia on the one hand and at the same time is an interlocutor of Ukraine, you have all the possibilities also to mediate and to bring in your diplomatic skills in bringing this war to an end,” said the ambassador.