Germany rules out further talks with Russia after criticism of WadePhul’s meeting with Lavrov

German Foreign Minister Johann WadePhul said that further high-level talks with Russia “only make sense if Russia is genuinely ready for negotiations” — this came after NATO allies sharply criticized his meeting with Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

On Saturday in New York, WadePhul and Lavrov held talks lasting just over 20 minutes — the first bilateral meeting between the foreign ministers of Germany and Russia since the start of Russia’s “full-scale invasion” of Ukraine in 2022. During the meeting, WadePhul urged Moscow to abandon its “dangerous path of escalation” toward Germany, Europe, and NATO. Lavrov rejected the appeal, accusing Germany of being Ukraine’s main sponsor and of seeking military dominance in Europe.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the initiative for the meeting came from the German side. It was precisely this framing that particularly angered Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna. In an interview with Estonian broadcaster ERR, he noted that Russian propaganda had portrayed WadePhul as “desperately seeking” the meeting.

“This is pure propaganda — I would call it a victory for Moscow, or at least an example of how Moscow skillfully uses the situation to its advantage, which puts the German side in an extremely humiliating position,” Tsahkna said.

The meeting took place against the backdrop of an attempted drone strike on Leipzig/Halle Airport in August — an incident for which Germany officially blamed Russia. Authorities discovered a drone carrying explosives near Ukrainian cargo aircraft on airport grounds, which led to a temporary closure of the facility. In response, Berlin shut down the Russian consulate. Tsahkna said that Russia “is carrying out military attacks against Germany” while continuing to enjoy diplomatic engagement — without any conditions or consequences.

On Monday, WadePhul took a harder line. Speaking to journalists alongside Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp in The Hague, he said that Lavrov’s public reaction to the meeting showed that Moscow “is currently not ready for serious negotiations.” He said that those who had called for direct dialogue with Russia could now see “that direct talks yield no result if the other side is firmly committed to continuing the war.”

Veldkamp also spoke in favor of increasing pressure on Moscow.

“Russia must come to the negotiating table. Our strategy is to increase pressure on Russia,” the Dutch minister said.