German and Russian foreign ministers hold first talks in four years

The foreign ministers of Germany and Russia have held their first direct talks in four years, meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Germany's Foreign Minister, Johann Wadephul, met Russia's Sergey Lavrov during the 81st session of the General Assembly. It was the first such meeting since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Called by Berlin

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, the meeting was held at Berlin's initiative.

Hard words at the UN

The meeting came as Lavrov used his speech to the General Assembly on Saturday to accuse Western countries of destabilising the world through "force and double standards". He said Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine would be "carried through to the end" and called for a new Eurasian security architecture.

A cautious contact

Germany is one of Ukraine's most important supporters, providing military and financial help since the invasion, and has worked with its allies on successive rounds of sanctions against Russia. Direct contact between senior ministers of the two countries had been almost entirely cut off since 2022.

Diplomats often keep channels open even in times of conflict, to reduce the risk of misunderstandings and to explore any chance of progress. A single meeting does not signal a change in Germany's position, which remains firmly behind Ukraine.

The war continues

On the ground, the fighting shows no sign of easing. Russian and Ukrainian strikes over the weekend killed at least eight people in Ukraine and one in Russia, and Russian attacks hit the headquarters of Ukraine's largest mobile network, Kyivstar, and several data centres in Kyiv.

Diplomacy in New York

The annual high-level week of the UN General Assembly brings world leaders and foreign ministers to New York, and many use it to hold private meetings on the sidelines that would be harder to arrange elsewhere.