Russia’s Lavrov Discusses Ukraine With Germany’s Wadephul

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed the situation in Ukraine and bilateral ties with his German counterpart Johann Wadephul on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Saturday.

Wadephul reaffirmed his country’s public position on Ukraine and other issues, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a website statement. The German side requested the meeting, according to the ministry.

The discussions lasted a little more than 20 minutes, with Wadephul declining to comment on the results, Tass reported.

The last time the Russian minister met with his counterpart from Germany in person was January 2022, when he spoke in Moscow with Annalena Baerbock, foreign minister in the coalition government headed at the time by Olaf Scholz, the state-run news said. Those talks took place weeks before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.