German and Russian foreign ministers hold rare talks amid rising tensions

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and Russia’s Sergey Lavrov met in New York on Saturday during the UN General Assembly, the first such talks since the 2022 Ukraine invasion at Germany’s request. Wadephul called on Russia to abandon escalation with Germany, Europe and NATO; Lavrov dismissed the appeal and said he learned nothing new. Relations have been frozen since the invasion and worsened after Berlin blamed Moscow for a drone incident at Leipzig airport last month, which Russia denies.