German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov have held a rare meeting in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, marking their first known meeting since 2022.
The meeting took place as world leaders gathered for the UN General Assembly, where the war in Ukraine and wider international security issues remain major topics of discussion.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova confirmed the meeting and said it was initiated by the German side.
The encounter is notable because direct high-level contacts between Germany and Russia have remained limited since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Berlin has strongly supported Ukraine while maintaining that diplomatic channels should remain available for addressing international security concerns.
The meeting also comes amid renewed diplomatic activity involving Moscow. Earlier in the same week, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Lavrov in New York, according to reports.
The discussions involving Russian officials at the UN come as countries continue to debate possible diplomatic approaches to the war in Ukraine, including efforts to reduce hostilities and address wider security concerns.
The United Nations remains one of the few venues where senior officials from countries with sharply conflicting positions can meet under the same diplomatic framework. A recent UN General Assembly readout also confirmed that Lavrov held discussions with the president of the General Assembly about global developments and issues before the assembly and Security Council.
It remains unclear how far the German-Russian meeting went or whether it signals a broader change in relations between Berlin and Moscow. No indication from the available reports suggests that the encounter represented a formal breakthrough in the Ukraine conflict.
Nevertheless, the rare contact highlights continued diplomatic engagement at a time when communication between Russia and Western governments remains closely watched.
Swifteradio.com
