Germany and Russia's Foreign Ministers Meet for First Time Since 2022 Invasion, Then Lavrov Trashes the West Anyway

Germany's Johann Wadephul and Russia's Sergey Lavrov sat across from each other Saturday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. It was the first foreign minister-level meeting between Berlin and Moscow since January 2022, weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine, according to The Moscow Times.

The meeting lasted roughly 20 minutes, took place in a room provided by the Russian delegation, and ended with a handshake, German news agency dpa reported. Russia's Foreign Ministry said Berlin had requested the talks.

What Wadephul Actually Asked For

Wadephul told Lavrov Russia needed to do "everything possible to reach an agreement on grain exports via the Black Sea," a German delegation source told the Jerusalem Post. Russian and Ukrainian exports through the Black Sea have been sharply curtailed as both sides target each other's ports and vessels.

"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 said, according to that same delegation source. He called for a "pragmatic solution" and told Lavrov that incidents like last month's drone attack at Leipzig airport would not shake Germany's support for Ukraine.

Germany has publicly blamed Russia for the Leipzig incident, which involved an explosives-rigged drone targeting two cargo planes in August, according to The Moscow Times. Berlin responded this month by closing a Russian consulate and a Russian cultural center in Berlin. The Russian embassy in Berlin has called the accusation a "fabricated provocation" and "anti-Russian hysteria," per the Jerusalem Post.

Wadephul also called on Russia to abandon its "dangerous path of escalation" toward Germany, Europe and NATO, according to a German delegation official cited by the Associated Press. He said any improvement in relations required genuine willingness from Moscow to end the war.

Lavrov's Response: Basically None

Lavrov's read on the sit-down was blunt. "Nothing new came from" the conversation, he told reporters afterward, according to the AP.

The Moscow Times reported that Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed the German side had sought restrictions on media access to the meeting, including a ban on questions and audio recording of opening remarks. No German source confirmed or disputed that claim in the available reporting, so it stands as an unverified allegation from Moscow's side.

Zakharova also posted on Telegram that "tens of diplomats" had approached Lavrov at the UN to "shake his hand and thank Russia," a claim with no independent confirmation.

Lavrov at the General Assembly

After the meeting, Lavrov addressed the full General Assembly and defended Russia's war in Ukraine. He specifically targeted the idea of Germany or Japan getting permanent UN Security Council seats, a move the United States has long backed alongside India, according to the AP.

Without naming President Trump, Lavrov accused the West of trying "to maintain its privileges and to impose its own rules on everyone else," declaring that "a fairer, multipolar world order is emerging before our very eyes." Russia has leaned on its BRICS membership to project an image of global relevance despite what the AP describes as 4½ years of war and Western isolation.

Wadephul used his own Assembly address Saturday to push back, saying Russia's war "targets the lives of millions of innocent people, the existence of the Ukrainian state and culture and the European peace order."

The Bigger Picture at Turtle Bay

The Germany-Russia sit-down happened amid one of the busiest UN weeks on record. The UN expected 73 heads of state, 45 heads of government and roughly 1,000 bilateral meeting requests during high-level week, UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric told reporters, as reported by Fox News. Dujarric described the mood inside UN headquarters simply as "high stress."

A separate BGR Analytics ranking cited by Fox News placed Germany second worldwide, behind Japan, in overall footprint and influence in the United States, based on economic, cultural, diplomatic and geopolitical measures. That backdrop matters: Berlin is trying to project itself as a serious global player even while its relationship with Moscow is arguably at its lowest point since the Cold War.

Front lines in Ukraine have been largely static for a year, even as Russia keeps hitting Ukraine with cruise missiles, glide bombs and drones, and Ukraine keeps striking Russian oil refineries, according to the AP. Russian and Ukrainian officials each reported fatal strikes on Saturday, three killed on the Russian side, four on the Ukrainian side.

Nothing about Saturday's meeting produced a breakthrough. No ceasefire. No grain deal. No date for a follow-up. Whether Wadephul's push for a Black Sea agreement goes anywhere likely won't be clear until Ukraine, Russia and their allies signal something concrete, and none of Saturday's participants offered a timeline for that.