New York City, United States, September 26, 2026: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (left) and Foreign Minister Johan Wadeplu (CDU, second from right) sit across from each other during a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa (Photo by Michael Kappeler/picture Alliance via Getty Images)
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The foreign ministers of Russia and Germany met in New York on Saturday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, their first meeting since before Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Relations between Moscow and Ukraine’s close ally Berlin have been frozen since the Russian invasion, and tensions escalated in August after a drone incident at Leipzig-Halle airport in eastern Germany.
In a sign of the continuing frosty situation, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a news conference that he had not learned anything new from his German counterpart in the talks, something that Berlin had not yet made public in an official statement.
“I frankly told him that…I could have called him and said, ‘Read my statement,'” Lavrov said.
Still, officials from both countries said they discussed bilateral relations and the war in Ukraine.
German Foreign Minister Johann Vardepoul used the meeting to urge Lavrov to “take all possible measures to reach an agreement on grain exports via the Black Sea,” according to a source close to the German delegation. The talks come amid diplomatic efforts to restore Russia and Ukraine’s Black Sea grain and energy exports, which have been drastically reduced by attacks on shipping and port infrastructure.
Foreign Minister Lavrov told a news conference that Russia is discussing proposals to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea with India, Egypt and Turkey, which could include bilateral agreements between Russia and these countries.
He blamed Ukraine for the attack on the ship, saying, “We need to consult with the Ukrainian side individually. When we do so, we need to discuss it in the form of demands, not in terms of demands.”
Ukraine is open to a deal and blames Russia and its aggression for any fallout from the war.
“Time is of the essence. Given the food shortages in many countries, especially in the Global South, all parties must be willing to engage constructively,” Wadeplu told Lavrov, a German delegation official said.
“A practical solution could pave the way for further concrete measures,” the German foreign minister also told Lavrov, the person said.
bilateral relations
In a sign of his nervousness about his wartime meeting with Russia’s foreign minister, Wadepulu informed European allies about the meeting after the meeting in a message seen by Reuters.
“I take this opportunity to reiterate our country’s position on Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and call for an immediate and complete ceasefire, focusing most urgently on grain exports and energy infrastructure,” he wrote.
The German government announced this month that it had concluded that Russia was responsible for the attempted drone attack. In retaliation, it closed the consulate general and Russian cultural center in Berlin.
The Russian embassy in Berlin dismissed the allegations as a “manufactured provocation” and “a new wave of anti-Russian hysteria in Germany.”
Mr. Wadepulu used the meeting to call on Russia to “abandon the dangerous path of escalation against Germany, Europe and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO),” a delegation official said.
Mr. Wadeplu said incidents such as the attempted attack in Leipzig and further hybrid attacks do not shake Germany’s determination to support Ukraine, according to a delegation official.
