German and Russian foreign ministers have rare meeting at United Nations General Assembly

In the encounter, German Foreign Minster Johann Wadephul called on Russia to abandon its "dangerous path of escalation" toward Germany, Europe and the NATO alliance, a German delegation official said. The foreign ministers of Germany and Russia held their first known one-on-one meeting since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The German minister reportedly called for de-escalation, while his Russian counterpart later defended the war in a speech.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The German and Russian foreign ministers met Saturday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, holding what's believed to be the first such tête-à-tête since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The German and Russian foreign ministers have met on the sidelines of the U.N.

The meeting came as tensions between the European Union and Russia rose — and just before Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov addressed world leaders.In the encounter, German Foreign Minster Johann Wadephul called on Russia to abandon its “dangerous path of escalation” toward Germany, Europe and the NATO alliance, a German delegation official said. Ties between Russia and Germany have soured in recent weeks, following an attempted drone attack last month at Leipzig airport — Germany has blamed the incident on Russia — and tit-for-tat responses that followed it.Wadephul expressed openness to a better relationship but said it required a genuine willingness from Russia’s leadership to end the war in Ukraine, according to the official.The German news agency dpa reported that the roughly 20-minute meeting took place in a room provided by the Russian side and ended with both ministers shaking hands.Then, Lavrov denounced the West in his speechLavrov went on to take the rostrum at the General Assembly, where he defended his country’s war in Ukraine and lobbed barbs at the West — including Germany. He made a point of blasting the notion of Germany or Japan gaining a permanent seat on the powerful U.N.

The United States has long supported permanent seats for those countries and India.Criticizing NATO and the U.S. — though not President Donald Trump by name — Lavrov complained that the West “continues to try to maintain its privileges and to impose its own rules on everyone else” even as the geopolitical ground is shifting.“A fairer, multipolar world order is emerging before our very eyes,” said Lavrov, whose country is part of the BRICS group of leading developing nations and other organizations that he portrays as more forward-looking and constructive.Moscow has repeatedly sought to stress that it maintains a strong position on the global stage despite its 4½-year war on Ukraine and isolation from the West.Writing on her personal Telegram channel, Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, said that “tens of diplomats” had come to meet Lavrov to “shake his hand and thank Russia.”The speech came…