Amid severe tensions between Germany and Russia, the foreign ministers of the two countries met bilaterally for the first time since the start of the Ukraine war. Johann Wadephul (CDU) and Sergei Lavrov spoke to each other for a good 20 minutes in New York on the sidelines of the UN general debate. There was no sign of any rapprochement.
«It was an intensive conversation. Of course we didn't agree on essential points," the CDU politician told ZDF after the conversation. Lavrov pointedly questioned the usefulness of the exchange. He said in response to a question from the German Press Agency in New York that he had not heard anything that did not correspond to Berlin's daily public statements. He told the German Foreign Minister: “You could have simply called me and said, “Read my statement.”
It is the first conversation at this level since the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine in 2022. The then Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) met with Lavrov in Moscow in January 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.
Conditions for a return to a more constructive relationship
Regarding the content of the talks, German delegation circles said that Wadephul had called on Russia to de-escalate. He emphasized that incidents such as the attempted attack in Leipzig at the beginning of August or further hybrid attacks would not shake Germany's determination to support Ukraine under attack. However, they affected the already damaged German-Russian relationship. At the same time, Wadephul made it clear that he expected the Russian leadership to be seriously willing to end the war against Ukraine.
Germany had requested the meeting the day before at the “last minute,” Lavrov said. Another version was also heard on the sidelines of the UN meeting. Lavrov had signaled to the German side - transmitted by third countries - a willingness to talk. The German side came back to this and Wadephul agreed to a meeting for the first time.
Wadephul sees Russian attacks on a “new level”
The meeting in New York took place against the backdrop of ongoing efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Wadephul and Lavrov were in the US metropolis for the general debate at the United Nations.
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,” he criticized at a meeting of the UN Security Council.
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.
Medvedev: Germany deserves punishment
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.
Wadephul: You have to negotiate with opponents
Wadephul told ZDF that he had been asked by numerous counterparts to be open to talks with Russia. The colleagues advised “that at some point you have to talk to each other directly again”. In addition, he did not want the Europeans to leave the Americans with complete exchanges with Russia. Of course, the principle still applies that people don't talk about Ukraine without talking about Ukraine, said Wadephul.
In the ARD “Tagesthemen” the CDU politician said: “You don’t have to negotiate with friends, you have to negotiate with opponents.” That's why the conversation made sense. It didn't bring any positive results. “But to everyone who keeps saying that Germany has to negotiate, that Germany has to talk to Russia, I now reply: We will.” Russia is currently “regrettably” not showing any willingness to take a constructive negotiating position, said Wadephul.
UN General Assembly shortly before the end
While the surprising German-Russian meeting attracted attention, the UN general debate continued with numerous speeches. Saudi Arabia is using the appearance to once again demand free passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Cuba criticized US sanctions and military threats from Washington towards the country. China once again presented itself as an advocate for the Global South and a multilateral world order.
The United Nations' most important week ends on Monday.
