Foreign Minister Wadephul addresses the UN General Assembly

Federal Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul will speak on behalf of Germany today at the UN General Assembly in New York. The speech by the CDU politician is scheduled for the evening German time. Support for Ukraine in its defense against Russia's war of aggression and Germany's engagement at the UN are expected to be at the center of the statement.

Wadephul had already traveled to New York on Monday and only interrupted the visit on Thursday for political talks in Canada. He represents Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) at the United Nations, who canceled his participation due to the current domestic political challenges.

Lavrov also speaks at the UN

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is expected to appear in front of Wadephul today. He had already taken a position in the UN Security Council on the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Lavrov said Russia was ready to negotiate a lasting peace. But it will not pause its attacks because this will only give Kiev's supporters room to supply Ukraine with more weapons.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also met with US President Donald Trump in New York to discuss the war. He also repeatedly emphasized his willingness to meet with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin for negotiations. On the sidelines of the event, the USA invited Putin to the G20 summit in Miami in mid-December.

“Litmus test for Putin”

Foreign Minister Wadephul welcomed this move by the US. "This invitation, which any presidency can extend, will be a litmus test for Vladimir Putin as to whether he is ready to seriously negotiate," he said.

Russia is still officially a member of the G20 group of large industrialized and emerging countries. However, Putin last attended a summit in 2019 - before the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

With information from Martin Ganslmeier, ARD Studio New York