German, Russian foreign ministers hold first talks since 2022 invasion

September 27, 2026 at 08:36 AM2 min

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German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Saturday, their first talks since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Wadephul urged Russia to abandon its "dangerous path of escalation" and to reach an agreement on Black Sea grain exports. Lavrov said he learned nothing new from the meeting.

Key Facts

The meeting was requested by the German side, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
Lavrov told the UN General Assembly that Germany is Kyiv's "main sponsor" and seeks to be a leading military power in Europe.
Wadephul urged Lavrov to do "everything possible to reach an agreement on grain exports via the Black Sea", a German delegation source said.
Lavrov said Russia had been in talks with India, Egypt and Turkiye about proposals to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea.

The Meeting

The talks took place on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday, before Lavrov's address to world leaders. It was the first such meeting since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The meeting was requested by the German side, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. Diplomatic relations between Berlin and Moscow have been frozen since the invasion, and deteriorated further after a drone incident at Leipzig airport last month, which Berlin blamed on Russia.

Lavrov's UN Address

In his speech to the UN General Assembly, Lavrov called Germany Kyiv's "main sponsor" and accused it of seeking to be a leading military power in Europe. He asked whether Berlin understood what this could lead to and whether it had learned the lessons of World War II. After his speech, Lavrov told a news conference that he had learned nothing new from his German counterpart in talks that Berlin had not already said publicly in its official statements.

Black Sea Grain Exports

Wadephul urged Lavrov to do "everything possible to reach an agreement on grain exports via the Black Sea", a German delegation source said. The meeting comes amid diplomatic efforts to revive Russia and Ukraine's Black Sea grain and energy exports that have been restricted by attacks on vessels and port infrastructure. Lavrov said Russia had been in talks with India, Egypt and Turkiye about proposals to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea. He said there is a need for separate discussions with the Ukrainians, and not in the language of requests, but rather demands, blaming Ukraine for the attacks on vessels.