German Foreign Minister Urges Russia to Abandon Escalation in Rare UN Meeting
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, the first such talks since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Lavrov dismissed the call, accusing Germany of being Ukraine's main sponsor and seeking military dominance in Europe.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul used a rare face-to-face meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, to urge Moscow to abandon what he called a dangerous path of escalation toward Germany, Europe and Nato. The talks, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, were the first between the two countries' top diplomats since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
According to a German delegation source, Wadephul told Lavrov that incidents such as the attempted drone attack in Leipzig would not shake Germany's resolve to support Ukraine. He also pressed the Russian minister to do everything possible to reach an agreement on grain exports via the Black Sea, and called for an immediate and complete ceasefire with a focus on grain shipments and energy infrastructure.
Lavrov, however, dismissed the German appeal. In a press conference after the meeting, he said nothing new had come from the talks, adding that Wadephul had simply reiterated his official public position condemning Russia. «I told him frankly … you could just have called me and said: read my statement,» Lavrov said. «You can judge for yourself whether that counts as dialogue or not.»
In his own address to the assembly on Saturday, Lavrov defended Russia's war in Ukraine and accused Germany of being Ukraine's main sponsor and of seeking to become a leading military power in Europe. «Does Berlin understand what this could lead to?» he asked. «Didn't they learn the lessons of world war two?» He also made clear that Russia would veto any attempt by Germany and Japan to obtain permanent seats on the UN Security Council, citing their roles in the second world war.
Despite the frosty exchange, officials from both sides said the ministers discussed bilateral ties and the war in Ukraine. Wadephul notified his European allies of the meeting afterwards in a message seen by Reuters, writing that he had used the opportunity to reiterate Germany's position on Russia's war of aggression and to call for an immediate and complete ceasefire.
The meeting came amid an intensifying aerial war. With frontline positions largely unchanged since last year, Russia has hammered Ukraine with cruise and ballistic missiles, glide bombs and jet-powered drones in recent months, while Ukraine's long-range drones have targeted Russian oil refineries and businesses. Ukrainian officials said Russian attacks killed four people on Saturday, while Russian authorities said a Ukrainian drone attack killed three.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Saturday that it was essential partners not forget that Russia is escalating every single day. «If the Russians have chosen to make their strikes even more brutal, the world must choose stronger responses to keep the war from spreading further,» he said. The talks also coincided with comments from Donald Trump, who said he hoped Zelenskyy would settle with Russia's Vladimir Putin.
In a further sign of the conflict's reach, Russia has opened a new front in its campaign against Ukraine by hitting several datacentres and internet providers in Kyiv this week, in an apparent attempt to weaken the digital backbone of the economy. Residents of the Ukrainian capital are preparing for power cuts, drone attacks and a bitter cold winter by stocking up on generators, food and dry showers as Kyiv becomes a frontline city.
Wadephul, in his own address to the assembly, said Russia's war targets the lives of millions of innocent people, the existence of the Ukrainian state and culture, and the European peace order. He urged Russia to negotiate toward ending the fighting. An overwhelming majority of General Assembly member nations have repeatedly condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
5
