New Delhi: Russia and Germany’s foreign ministers held their first direct talks since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, meeting
on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Saturday.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul discussed bilateral relations and the war in Ukraine. The meeting came amid renewed diplomatic efforts to restore Black Sea grain and energy exports, as well as continuing tensions between Moscow and Berlin.
The talks were requested by the German side, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. The meeting lasted a little over 20 minutes, according to German and Russian reports.
Wadephul pushes for Black Sea grain deal
Wadephul urged Lavrov to do ‘everything possible to reach an agreement on grain exports via the Black Sea’, according to a German delegation source cited by Reuters. “Time is of the essence: given the food shortages in many countries — particularly in the Global South — all parties must be willing to engage constructively,” Wadephul told Lavrov, according to the source. The German minister also said that ‘a pragmatic solution could pave the way for further concrete steps’.
Russia and Ukraine’s Black Sea exports have been sharply disrupted in recent months amid attacks on vessels and port infrastructure. Ukraine and its allies are seeking a limited ceasefire covering the Black Sea and energy infrastructure, while Moscow has not publicly given a clear indication that it supports the proposals.
Lavrov said Russia had been discussing proposals for safe navigation in the Black Sea with India, Egypt and Turkey. He also said separate discussions with Ukraine were necessary, but claimed they should be based on “demands” rather than ‘requests’.
Moscow-Berlin ties remain deeply strained
The meeting took place against the backdrop of severely strained relations between Russia and Germany. Berlin has been a strong supporter of Ukraine since the Russian invasion.
Germany also recently accused Russia of being responsible for an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport. Moscow has rejected the allegation as a ‘fabricated provocation’. Germany subsequently closed a Russian consulate and a Russian cultural centre in Berlin in response.
During the meeting, Wadephul called on Moscow “to abandon the dangerous path of escalation vis-à-vis Germany, Europe and NATO”, according to the German delegation.
He also told European allies after the meeting that he had reiterated Germany’s call for an immediate and complete ceasefire in Ukraine, with particular focus on grain exports and energy infrastructure.
Lavrov, meanwhile, struck a dismissive tone after the talks, saying he had heard nothing from Wadephul that Berlin had not already made public.
“I told him that frankly … you could just have called me and said: ‘read my statement’,” Lavrov said at a news conference. The meeting did not signal a broader thaw in Russia-Germany relations, but marked the first foreign-minister-level talks between the two countries since before the 2022 invasion.
