German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. It was the first bilateral meeting between the two countries’ foreign ministers since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The talks lasted about 20 minutes and ended with a handshake. According to WELT, the German side initiated the meeting, while its specific agenda had not been disclosed in advance.
During the conversation, Wadephul urged Russia to abandon what he described as a dangerous path of escalation toward Germany, Europe and NATO. At the same time, the German delegation said the possibility of returning to more constructive relations between Berlin and Moscow remained open.
After the talks, Lavrov said Wadephul had requested the meeting “at the last moment” and that the Russian side had agreed to hear him out. According to the Russian foreign minister, he heard nothing fundamentally new from his German counterpart, and Berlin’s position toward Russia remained unchanged.
Lavrov also said he had advised Wadephul to read his September 23 speech at a UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine.
The meeting took place amid sharply strained relations between Germany and Russia. Just days earlier, Wadephul had accused Moscow at the UN Security Council of escalating its war against Ukraine and conducting a hybrid campaign against European countries.
Ahead of his trip to New York, the German Foreign Ministry also said threats from Russia against EU and NATO countries were increasing, citing airspace violations, damage to undersea cables and hybrid attacks. At the same time, Berlin stressed the need to push Russia toward serious negotiations aimed at ending its war against Ukraine.
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