Key facts
- German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul met Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov at the UN on Saturday.
- The meeting was the first between the two foreign ministers since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
- Wadephul urged Russia to facilitate an agreement on grain exports via the Black Sea.
- Germany accused Russia of orchestrating an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport in August.
- Wadephul called on Russia to abandon its "dangerous path of escalation."
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Saturday, marking the first such high-level diplomatic encounter since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The Russian foreign ministry stated that the two ministers discussed bilateral relations and the war in Ukraine.
A German delegation source reported that Wadephul urged Russia to "do everything possible to reach an agreement on grain exports via the Black Sea," emphasizing that "time is of the essence" due to food shortages in many countries, particularly in the Global South. The source added that Wadephul told Lavrov "a pragmatic solution could pave the way for further concrete steps."
Relations between Germany and Russia have been severely strained since the invasion. Tensions escalated further after Germany concluded this month that Russia was responsible for an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport in August. In response, Germany ordered measures including the closure of a consulate and a Russian cultural center in Berlin. The Russian embassy in Berlin dismissed these allegations as a "fabricated provocation."