At UN, Russia and Germany’s top diplomats hold first talks since war began in 2022

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Russia and Germany’s foreign ministers met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Saturday, officials from both sides said, in the first such talks since before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Russia’s Sergey Lavrov and Germany’s Johann Wadephul discussed bilateral relations and the war in Ukraine, the Russian foreign ministry said.

Wadephul urged Russia to do “everything possible to reach an agreement on grain exports via the Black Sea”, a German delegation source said.

Russian and Ukrainian exports via the Black Sea have been sharply curtailed in recent months as Kyiv and Moscow targeted each other’s port infrastructure and vessels. Ukraine and its allies are now pushing to secure a limited ceasefire in the Black Sea and on strikes on energy infrastructure.

Russia has not given any clear indication publicly that it supports these initiatives.

Wadephul told Lavrov, “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,” the German delegation source said.

The German minister also told Lavrov that “a pragmatic solution could pave the way for further concrete steps”, the source said.

Relations between Moscow and Berlin, a close ally of Ukraine, have been in deep freeze since the Russian invasion, and tensions escalated further after a drone incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport in eastern Germany in August.

The German government said this month it had concluded that Russia was responsible for that attempted drone attack. It ordered a series of measures in ‌response, including the closure of a consulate and a Russian cultural centre in Berlin.

The Russian embassy in Berlin has dismissed these allegations as “fabricated provocation” and as “a new wave of anti-Russian hysteria in Germany”.

Wadephul used the talks to call on Russia “to abandon the dangerous path of escalation vis-à-vis Germany, Europe, and NATO”, according to the delegation source.

Wadephul said incidents such as the attempted attack in Leipzig or further hybrid attacks would not shake Germany’s resolve to support Ukraine, according to delegation sources.

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俄罗斯和德国的官员周六表示，两国外长在联合国大会期间举行了会晤，这是自2022年俄罗斯全面入侵乌克兰以来的首次此类会谈。

俄罗斯外交部表示，俄罗斯外长谢尔盖·拉夫罗夫和德国外长约翰·瓦德普尔讨论了双边关系和乌克兰战争。

一位德国代表团消息人士称，瓦德普尔敦促俄罗斯“尽一切可能达成经黑海出口粮食的协议”。

近几个月来，由于基辅和莫斯科互相袭击对方的港口基础设施和船只，俄罗斯和乌克兰经黑海的出口大幅减少。乌克兰及其盟友目前正努力促成黑海地区以及针对能源基础设施的袭击实现有限停火。

俄罗斯尚未公开明确表示支持这些倡议。

德国代表团消息人士称，瓦德普尔告诉拉夫罗夫：“时间至关重要：鉴于许多国家（特别是全球南方国家）粮食短缺，各方都必须愿意进行建设性接触。”

消息人士称，这位德国部长还告诉拉夫罗夫，“务实的解决方案可以为采取进一步的具体措施铺平道路”。

自俄罗斯入侵以来，莫斯科与乌克兰的亲密盟友柏林之间的关系一直处于冰点，8 月份德国东部莱比锡/哈勒机场发生的无人机事件进一步加剧了紧张局势。

德国政府本月表示，已认定俄罗斯应对那次未遂无人机袭击负责。作为回应，德国政府下令采取一系列措施，包括关闭俄罗斯驻柏林领事馆和一家俄罗斯文化中心。

俄罗斯驻柏林大使馆驳斥了这些指控，称其为“捏造的挑衅”和“德国新一轮反俄歇斯底里”。

据代表团消息人士透露，瓦德普尔利用会谈呼吁俄罗斯“放弃对德国、欧洲和北约采取的危险升级路线”。

据代表团消息人士透露，瓦德普尔表示，莱比锡袭击未遂事件或进一步的混合袭击不会动摇德国支持乌克兰的决心。