Lavrov rejects Germany’s call to ease tensions with Russia

Russia’s foreign minister has rejected Germany’s appeal for Moscow to step back from what Berlin described as an increasingly dangerous confrontation with Germany, Europe and NATO.

Sergei Lavrov spoke after meeting German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. The encounter, requested by Wadephul, was believed to be the first direct meeting between the two countries’ foreign ministers since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, according to reporting by the Los Angeles Times.

Rather than signal a thaw, Lavrov used the meeting and a subsequent speech to accuse Germany of backing Ukraine and trying to become Europe’s leading military power. He said Wadephul had repeated Germany’s public condemnation of Russia and questioned whether the exchange amounted to meaningful dialogue.

Wadephul’s message was that any improvement in relations depended on Russia showing a genuine willingness to end the war in Ukraine. A German delegation official said he had urged Moscow to abandon its course toward Germany, Europe and the NATO alliance.

Relations deteriorate further

The diplomatic dispute comes after a series of worsening incidents between Berlin and Moscow. Germany has blamed Russia for an attempted drone attack last month at Leipzig/Halle Airport. Russia has rejected that account, with Lavrov describing the aircraft as an unidentified drone that Berlin had quickly attributed to Moscow.

The episode prompted reciprocal responses and added to tensions that were already severe because of the war. Lavrov also challenged German claims concerning attacks on commercial shipping in the Black Sea, asking Germany to identify a vessel that had been damaged or targeted by Russian forces. He said there had been no such cases.

In his address to the assembly, Lavrov portrayed the United States and its European allies as seeking Russia’s strategic defeat. He argued that those efforts would ultimately produce a dead end for the countries supporting them, while accusing Washington of dismantling Europe’s security arrangements and establishing an anti-Russian government in Kyiv.

Lavrov also referred to Russia’s claim that an understanding on ending the war had emerged from an August 2025 meeting in Alaska between U.S. President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said Moscow remained prepared to return to that proposed framework.

Dispute over the Security Council

The Russian minister made clear that Moscow would oppose any effort by Germany and Japan to obtain permanent seats on the U.N. Security Council. The two countries fought against Russia, Britain and the United States in the Second World War, a history Lavrov invoked while criticizing their current policies.

The United States has long backed permanent council seats for Germany, Japan and India. Japan’s deputy U.N. ambassador, Mikanagi Tomohiro, answered Lavrov after the assembly session, emphasizing Japan’s commitment to peace, democracy, freedom and basic human rights.

Germany’s foreign minister, meanwhile, told the General Assembly that Russia’s invasion threatens Ukrainian lives, the Ukrainian state and culture, and the wider European peace system. He said most member states had repeatedly condemned the war and called on Moscow to negotiate an end to the fighting.

Lavrov presented a different picture of Russia’s international position. He said a more balanced, multipolar global order was taking shape and pointed to Russia’s participation in BRICS and other international groupings. Maria Zakharova, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s chief spokesperson, separately claimed on Telegram that large numbers of diplomats had met Lavrov to express appreciation and support.

War intensifies as diplomacy stalls

The exchange at the United Nations took place as attacks from both sides continued to intensify. Although frontline positions have changed little since last year, Russia has used cruise and ballistic missiles, glide bombs and jet-powered drones against Ukraine. Ukrainian long-range drones have struck Russian oil facilities and businesses.

Ukrainian officials said Russian attacks killed four people on Saturday. Russian authorities said three people died in a Ukrainian drone attack. Neither country publishes its own complete military casualty figures. Western analysts cited by the Los Angeles Times have estimated that more than 500,000 Russian troops have been killed, while Ukraine has reported more than 500,000 military casualties, including as many as 140,000 deaths.

The conflict has also disrupted fuel, fertilizer and grain markets and deepened divisions between Russia and Western governments. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged other countries to restrict Russian revenue and limit Moscow’s ability to sustain the war. He said Russia was escalating each day and called for stronger international action to prevent the conflict from spreading.

The United States passed a major sanctions bill targeting Moscow last month, and Trump signed it into law the following week, although the measures had not yet been imposed. Zelensky has also said Washington is seeking technical discussions involving U.S., Ukrainian and Russian delegations, without the three countries’ top leaders. Ukraine was awaiting an American proposal for a date.