Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul urged Russia to abandon what he called a “dangerous path of escalation” with Germany, Europe and NATO during talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in New York.
The meeting, held Saturday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and requested by Berlin, was the first since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. It took place before Lavrov’s address to world leaders, reports Al Jazeera.
In his UN speech, Lavrov accused Germany of being Kyiv’s “main sponsor” and seeking to become Europe’s leading military power. “Does Berlin understand what this could lead to? Didn’t they learn the lessons of World War II?” he asked.
Diplomatic ties between Berlin and Moscow have been frozen since the invasion and worsened after a drone incident at Leipzig airport last month, which Germany blamed on Russia.
Moscow denied involvement and accused Berlin of fabricating evidence. European states have linked Russia to drone incursions near airports, bases and infrastructure over the past year.
After his UNGA remarks, Lavrov told reporters he had heard nothing new from Wadephul beyond Germany’s public statements. “I told him frankly … you could just have called me and said, ‘Read my statement,’” he said. Still, both sides said the ministers discussed bilateral relations and the war in Ukraine.
According to a German delegation source cited by Reuters, Wadephul pressed Lavrov to do “everything possible” to secure an agreement on Black Sea grain exports. The meeting comes amid efforts to revive grain and energy shipments disrupted by attacks on vessels and ports.
Lavrov said Russia was in talks with India, Egypt and Turkiye on proposals to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea, adding that “separate discussions with the Ukrainians” were needed “not in the language of requests, but demands.”
However, he blamed Ukraine for attacks on vessels.
Kyiv has said it is open to agreements and holds Russia responsible for the fallout from the war.
Wadephul later informed European allies of the meeting, writing: “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 energy infrastructure.”
