The German Foreign Minister, Johan Wadephol, met with Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, at the United Nations on Saturday. This unexpected meeting occurred just a day after Wadephol welcomed the United States' invitation to Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, to attend the G20 summit.
Call to End Tensions
An official from Germany stated after the meeting, which lasted about 30 minutes, that Wadephol urged the Russian Federation to abandon its dangerous path of escalating tensions towards Germany, Europe, and NATO. The official also mentioned that Wadephol strongly protested against Russia's ongoing and targeted attacks on the civilian population of Ukraine, emphasizing that every month, tens of thousands of Russian soldiers lose their lives in a futile war while the Russian economy is collapsing.
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Ongoing Tensions Between Berlin and Moscow
This meeting is the first of its kind since Russia's extensive invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and comes at a time when tensions between Berlin and Moscow have reached a peak. Earlier this month, the German government accused Russian intelligence services of organizing a failed attack on a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig Airport. In response, Germany imposed sanctions against Russia, including the closure of the Russian consulate in Bonn, to which Moscow retaliated by closing the German consulate in St. Petersburg.
During a United Nations Security Council meeting held earlier this week, Germany and Russia also challenged each other. Wadephol strongly protested against Russia's dangerously escalating actions in Europe, while Lavrov accused Europe of using "criminal methods."
The German official stated that Wadephol clearly indicated in Saturday's meeting that incidents like the recent attack in Leipzig or other hybrid attacks would not shake Germany's resolve to support Ukraine, which is under attack. However, these incidents would damage bilateral relations with Germany, which were already affected by recent developments.
No detailed report of this meeting has been provided by the Russian side. Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, instead referred to a controversial report that casts doubt on the Bucha massacre, which appears to have been raised during the foreign ministers' meeting.
The meeting between Wadephol and Lavrov took place amid renewed efforts by the United States and its Western allies to initiate peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Earlier this week, the U.S. government invited Putin to attend the G20 summit in Miami, raising the possibility of negotiations between the Russian President and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, in Florida.
Wadephol welcomed this invitation, calling it a "paper test for Putin" and stated that such opportunities should be seized. However, he also emphasized that, in his view, a ceasefire is essential for serious negotiations to take place.
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