Wadephul meets Lavrov at UN, says Russia shows no readiness for peace talks
First Germany-Russia foreign minister meeting since January 2022 ends with Berlin seeing no shift in Moscow's stance on Ukraine.
What to know
- First Germany-Russia foreign minister meeting since Annalena Baerbock's January 2022 Moscow trip, held on UN General Assembly sidelines in New York.
- Wadephul says he pressed Lavrov to abandon escalation, citing the Leipzig/Halle Airport drone sabotage attempt, warning "a line had been crossed".
- Germany reaffirms unwavering support for Ukraine and continued economic pressure on Russia; Wadephul says any Ukraine settlement talks are for Ukrainians alone.
- Wadephul concludes Russia is currently showing no willingness to adopt a constructive negotiating position, countering domestic calls for Germany to talk to Moscow.
Johann Wadephul German Foreign MinisterSergei Lavrov Russian Foreign Minister
Maria Zakharova Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman
How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump posts
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Russian side frames meeting as routine contact requested by Berlin
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the meeting took place at Germany's request, while TASS characterized it as a brief exchange on bilateral relations and Ukraine.
“a line had been crossed, we expect this not to happen again, and we are ready to respond at any time…”
— Johann Wadephul, German Foreign Minister · source -
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Wadephul reports no Russian readiness to negotiate peace
Wadephul said he saw no willingness from the Russian delegation to move toward ending the war, despite reaffirming Germany's continued support for Ukraine and economic pressure on Moscow.
“Russia is currently showing no willingness to adopt a constructive negotiating position…”
— Johann Wadephul -
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⛔️🇩🇪German foreign minister sees no readiness to end its illegal invasion of Europe and Ukraine during first meeting with Russian counterpart about Ukraine, without Ukraine (more) https://www. pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2026/09 /27/8055208/ # Ukraine # Press # Kyiv # Odesa # Lviv # Kharkiv # Kherson # Berlin # Brussels # France # Germany # UK # US #…
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background
Wadephul says he warned Lavrov over Leipzig/Halle drone sabotage — Speaking afterward on German broadcaster ZDF, Wadephul said he told the Russian delegation that actions such as the attempted drone sabotage at Leipzig/Halle Airport were unacceptable and that Germany was ready to respond.
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background
Wadephul and Lavrov hold first Germany-Russia FM meeting since 2022 — The two foreign ministers met on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly session in New York; Russian state agency TASS said the meeting lasted just over 20 minutes and covered bilateral relations and the situation around Ukraine.