German, Russian foreign ministers hold rare talks amid rising tensions

Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has called on Russia to abandon its “dangerous path of escalation” with Germany, Europe and NATO during talks with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in New York.

The meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday — the first such talks since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine — was requested by the German side, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. It was held before Lavrov’s address to world leaders.

In his speech on Saturday, Lavrov told the UNGA that Germany is not only Kyiv’s “main sponsor” but also seeks to be a leading military power in Europe.

“Does Berlin understand what this could lead to? Didn’t they … learn the lessons of World War II?” he asked.

Diplomatic relations between Berlin and Moscow have been frozen since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

They deteriorated further after a drone incident at Leipzig airport in eastern Germany last month, which Berlin blamed on Russia. Moscow has firmly denied involvement and accused Germany of fabricating evidence.

European countries have linked Russia to drone incursions near airports, military bases and critical infrastructure across the continent in the past year.

After his UN speech, Lavrov told a news conference that he had learned nothing new from his German counterpart in talks that Berlin had not already said publicly in its official statements.

“I told him that frankly … you could just have called me and said: ‘Read my statement,'” Lavrov said.

Still, the ministers discussed bilateral ties and the war in Ukraine, officials from both sides said.

Wadephul urged Lavrov to do “everything possible to reach an agreement on grain exports via the Black Sea”, a German delegation source said, as reported by the Reuters news agency.

The meeting comes amid diplomatic efforts to revive Russia and Ukraine’s Black Sea grain and energy exports that have been restricted by attacks on vessels and port infrastructure.

Lavrov told the news conference that Russia had been in talks with India, Egypt and Turkiye about proposals to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea.

“There is a need for separate discussions with the Ukrainians, and not in the language of requests, but rather demands,” he said, blaming Ukraine for the attacks on vessels.

Kyiv has said it is open to agreements and blames all the fallout from the war on Russia and its invasion.

Wadephul notified his European allies of the meeting afterwards in a message seen by Reuters.

“I used this opportunity to reiterate our position on Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and to call for an immediate and complete ceasefire, most pressingly with a focus on grain exports, and the energy infrastructure,” he wrote.