Germany Warns Russia Against Escalation in Rare Wadephul-Lavrov Talks

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul met his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, on Saturday – the first such meeting between the two countries’ top diplomats since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.The meeting took place behind closed doors on Saturday, Sept. 26, on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, Deutsche Welle reported.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.During the meeting, which reportedly lasted 22 minutes, Wadephul called on Moscow to “reject the dangerous path of escalation” against Germany, Europe and NATO, a German Foreign Ministry spokesperson told AFP.Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the talks were held at Germany’s request, with the German side asking for restricted media access.Hybrid attacks won’t shake support for Ukraine, Wadephul saysAccording to the German spokesperson, Wadephul told Lavrov that incidents such as the recent attempted attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport, which Berlin has accused Russia of doing, and other hybrid attacks would not weaken Germany’s resolve to support Ukraine.The German side also condemned Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian civilians.The unnamed German diplomat also condemned Russian attacks on the civilian population of Ukraine.“This attempt to increase pressure does not change anything in Russia’s hopelessness: every month, tens of thousands of Russian soldiers are dying in a hopeless positional war, while the Russian economy continues to collapse.” Other Topics of Interest The Silent Battle in Ukraine: How Drug Resistant Infections Could Become a Global Threat Wounded Ukrainian soldiers have had to deal with infections that have become resistant to many medications. Relations deteriorate amid retaliatory closuresThe talks come after weeks of rising tensions between Berlin and Moscow.On Aug. 4, an explosive-laden drone was found near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig/Halle Airport – a major hub for military deliveries to Ukraine.After a nearly monthlong investigation, the German government concluded on Sept. 1 that Russia was responsible.In response, Wadephul ordered the closure of the Russian consulate in Bonn and ended the agreement governing the Russian House cultural center in Berlin.Moscow rejected the accusations as “entirely fabricated,” and retaliated the closures on Sept. 7, ordering the German Consulate General in St. Petersburg to close by Sept. 18 and shutting the remaining branches of the Goethe-Institut, Germany’s cultural institute, across the country.According to TVP World citing the Russian embassy in Berlin on Sept. 11, Germany then ordered more than 150 employees of Russian missions and their family members to leave the country.“A broken drone of unclear origin that caused no harm – is this a ‘reasonable’ reason to deprive hundreds of thousands of German citizens and Russian citizens residing in Germany of access to consular services?” the embassy said in a statement.The tensions have remained sour since.On Tuesday, Sept. 22, a crashed drone and suspected explosive material were found near the Bundeswehr’s Wunstorf Air Base in Lower Saxony.The German investigators are examining them for possible links to the Leipzig case.Sybiha briefed on the talks“I am grateful to Minister Wadephul for conveying our firm shared positions to the Russian side: insisting that Moscow end its war, reaffirming unwavering support for Ukraine, and warning against further hostile actions against Europe,” Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in a statement on X.The two ministers discussed next steps to advance peace efforts and achieve a ceasefire, as well as ways to increase pressure on Russia and strengthen Ukraine’s resilience ahead of winter.This winter is particularly important, as Russia is widely expected to target additional critical infrastructure. Instead of targeting just the power grid, the campaign is believed to also include the water supplies.Meanwhile, Ukraine continues working on securing the Patriot interceptors it urgently needs to defend itself against Russian ballistic missiles.First meeting since BaerbockThe previous meeting between German and Russian foreign ministers took place in January 2022, when the former Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock met Lavrov less than a month before Russia’s full-scale invasion.According to Deutsche Welle, Wadephul is representing Germany at this year’s UNGA in place of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who stayed home amid domestic political pressure after his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) performed poorly in state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin.Lavrov, meanwhile, is leading Russia’s delegation under a decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in August.Putin has not attended the UNGA in person since 2015, and his travel abroad has been limited since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for his arrest in 2023 over the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children.On Sept. 18, ahead of the UNGA high-level debate week, US President Donald Trump signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026.Besides allowing Trump to impose up to 100% of tariffs on Russia’s energy buyers, the bill also creates enforceable financial and travel penalties against individuals, state bodies, and commercial intermediaries involved in the illegal removal of Ukrainian minors. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.