BERLIN, January 19. /TASS/. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier presented Boris Pistorius with his letter of appointment as defense minister on Thursday, after which Pistorius took the oath of office in the Bundestag (the German parliament).

"I swear to devote my energies to the good of the German people, to promote their good, to protect them from harm, to observe and defend the fundamental law and the laws of the federation, to faithfully perform my duties and to observe justice for everyone," Pistorius said at the ceremony broadcast on the Bundestag website.

In turn, the President of the Bundestag, Baerbel Bas, congratulated the minister on his assumption of office, wishing him success in his new job.

Pistorius has replaced Christine Lambrecht, who resigned as head of the Defense Ministry. Steinmeier presented Lambrecht with a letter dismissing her from office, thanking her for her work.

Pistorius will meet with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Thursday. On January 20, Pistorius will represent Germany at a meeting of Western defense ministers at the Ramstein Air Base, where further assistance to Ukraine will be discussed, and above all the transfer of German Leopard tanks to Kiev.