German and Russian foreign ministers hold rare UN talks in New York

Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and Russia’s Sergey Lavrov held rare talks in New York on Saturday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly — the first such meeting since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Al Jazeera reported citing AFP, AP and Reuters.

Call to abandon escalation

Wadephul urged Russia to abandon its “dangerous path of escalation” with Germany, Europe and NATO. In a message to European allies seen by Reuters, he said he reiterated Germany’s position on Russia’s war against Ukraine and called for “an immediate and complete ceasefire, most pressingly with a focus on grain exports, and the energy infrastructure.” A German source said he also pressed for agreement on Black Sea grain exports.

Lavrov’s response

Lavrov told a news conference he learned nothing new that Berlin had not already said publicly. “I told him that frankly … you could just have called me and said: ‘Read my statement,’” he said. In his UNGA speech he called Germany Kyiv’s “main sponsor” and questioned whether Berlin had learned the lessons of World War II. Russia’s foreign ministry said Berlin requested the meeting.

Leipzig drones and Black Sea

Relations worsened further after a drone incident at Leipzig airport last month that Berlin blamed on Russia; Moscow denied involvement. Lavrov said Russia had talked with India, Egypt and Turkey about safe Black Sea navigation and blamed Ukraine for attacks on vessels; Kyiv says it is open to agreements and blames fallout on Russia’s invasion.