German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called on Moscow to “abandon its dangerous path of escalation” during a meeting with Russia’s Sergei Lavrov at the UN on Saturday, a diplomat for Berlin said.
The talks took place as tensions between Berlin and Moscow intensified in recent weeks, with Germany accusing Russia of orchestrating an attempted drone attack on Leipzig airport and each country ordering the closure of the other’s consulate.
“Wadephul called on the Russian Federation to abandon its dangerous path of escalation vis-a-vis Germany, Europe, and NATO,” the German diplomat said.
“He made it clear: incidents such as the recent attempted attack in Leipzig or further hybrid assaults would not shake Germany’s resolve to support Ukraine, which has come under attack.”
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It was the first such meeting since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago.
Lavrov, who was to address the UN’s gathering of world leaders in New York Saturday, last met with a German foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, in January 2022, less than a month before Russian forces invaded Ukraine.
Germany is one of Kyiv’s main allies, and relations between Moscow and Berlin — already tense before the Ukraine invasion — have deteriorated in recent days.
Lavrov — Russia’s longest-serving minister — recently accused Germany of “wanting war again,” and is one of Russia’s most vocally anti-western officials.
European countries, including Germany, have sounded the alarm in recent days over what they say is increased Russian sabotage activities on their soil.
Direct flights between Russia and Germany have been suspended since the invasion.
The meeting Saturday was closed to media but Ukraine dominated, according to the German diplomat.
“The German foreign minister condemned Russia’s ongoing and increasingly targeted aggression against the Ukrainian civilian population. This attempt to increase pressure does nothing to change Russia’s untenable situation: every month, tens of thousands of Russian soldiers die in a hopeless war of positions, while the Russian economy continues to collapse,” the diplomat said.
Before the meeting with Lavrov, the German side demanded that media access be restricted and that the opening remarks not be recorded, Moscow’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, according to the Russia’s TASS news agency.
She said Saturday’s meeting was initiated by Berlin and lasted about 20 minutes.
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