German and Russian foreign ministers met on Saturday during the UN General
Assembly — their first face-to-face talks since the 2022 Russia-Ukraine conflict
began. Germany's foreign minister Wadephul urged Moscow to abandon a "dangerous
escalation" toward Germany, Europe and NATO and said Berlin is open to improving
ties only if Russia shows genuine willingness to end the Ukraine conflict. The
meeting follows a recent deterioration in ties after an attempted drone attack
at Leipzig airport last month, which Germany blamed on Russia, and reciprocal
measures. Russia's foreign minister Lavrov said there was "no new progress" from
the talks.
