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Russian and German Foreign Ministers Meet at UNGA after More than Four-Year Gap

NEW YORK — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met his German counterpart, Johann Wadephul, on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly on September 26, marking the first such encounter between the two countries’ top diplomats in more than four years.
Our diplomatic correspondent reported that the talks took place during the annual gathering of world leaders in New York. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters that the meeting was held at Germany’s request. Lavrov’s last known meeting with a German foreign minister was on January 18, 2022, with then-Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, before a prolonged freeze in high-level contacts.

The talks come against a backdrop of sharply deteriorated bilateral relations. Diplomats and observers have speculated that the discussion centered on that deterioration, though neither side immediately released a detailed readout. Earlier this summer, Germany closed several Russian cultural centers on its territory. Moscow responded by shutting the German consulate in St. Petersburg, in a familiar pattern of reciprocal diplomatic measures.
UN General Assembly sessions often serve as a rare venue for such conversations when regular bilateral channels are constrained. The fact that Berlin requested the meeting, after years of limited contact at this level, suggests both sides saw value in at least a limited exchange, even if expectations for a broader thaw appear modest.
The encounter does not, by itself, reverse the sequence of closures, expulsions, and public recriminations that have defined Russia–Germany relations in recent years. It does, however, illustrate how the UN calendar can still produce face-to-face diplomacy that has otherwise been scarce. Further official comments from Moscow or Berlin will likely clarify whether the talks produced any concrete follow-up or remained a stock-taking of grievances. 
By Sara Colin

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