Sergey Lavrov says German foreign minister repeated criticism "condemning Russia" at U.N. talks

At the U.N. General Assembly in New York, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul — reportedly their first in-person encounter since Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Germany requested the talks. Afterward, Lavrov dismissed the exchange as Germany reciting its established criticism of Moscow and questioned whether that counted as dialogue, while Wadephul, according to a German delegation official, favored improved ties but said Russia's leadership would have to genuinely seek an end to the Ukraine war. Relations have deteriorated recently; Berlin blamed the Kremlin for an attempted drone attack at Leipzig's airport last month. Moscow had also rejected German appeals to scale back its escalation toward NATO, and overnight and Sunday strikes killed at least eight people in Ukraine and one in Russia.