Foreign Minister Wadephul meets Lavrov in New York

New York. Federal Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul met with his Russian colleague Sergei Lavrov in New York. The first bilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of the two countries in years took place on the sidelines of the UN general debate in a meeting room on the Russian side in the UN building. The meeting lasted a good 20 minutes and ended with both ministers shaking hands.

It is the first conversation at this level since the start of the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine in 2022. Since then, German and Russian government representatives have been represented together at various international meetings, but there have been no direct discussions at foreign minister level.

The meeting in New York comes against the backdrop of ongoing efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Wadephul and Lavrov are in the US metropolis for the general debate at the United Nations. It was initially not known what specific topics the two foreign ministers discussed.

Just a few days ago, Wadephul expressed concern about further escalation. He accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of escalating aggression against Europe in the face of increasing hybrid attacks. “Russia’s hybrid attacks against those who support Ukraine and international law have reached a new level,” criticized the CDU politician at a meeting of the UN Security Council on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

The federal government blames Russia for an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport and has announced a list of sanctions against Moscow. This includes the termination of the contract for the operation of the Russian House in Berlin, which is suspected of being used for espionage purposes disguised as a cultural institute. Moscow rejected the allegations and announced countermeasures. As a result, Russia ordered, among other things, the closure of the Goethe Institute in the country.

The deputy head of the Russian National Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, also stated that Germany deserved real punishment with its “anti-Russia policy”. Specifically, the ex-president called for “direct strikes” against defense companies in Germany that supply military goods to Ukraine.

Germany is the most important supporter of Ukraine, which has been defending itself against the Russian war of aggression for more than four and a half years and in return receives money and weapons from its Western allies. After the USA reduced its support under US President Donald Trump, the role of Europe and especially Germany has become more important.