German Foreign Minister: I Proposed De-Escalation to Lavrov, But It Has Not Met With Understanding So Far

Reform.news Editorial Team · 27 September 2026, 11:46

https://reform.news/en/german-foreign-minister-i-proposed-de-escalation-to-lavrov-but-it-has-not-met-with-understanding-so-far/

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said he proposed to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that they begin de-escalation, including in connection with the Russia-Ukraine war. He said this in an interview with ZDF after their unexpected meeting on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

According to the German minister, the meeting was arranged after a “request for a meeting” reached the German diplomat.

“As I have already said, many colleagues had spoken with Sergey Lavrov, and that was how the request for a meeting reached me. However, I would prefer to keep the details of this process within our professional circle”, he said.

The minister said the conversation was “intensive”, but the sides failed to reach agreement on key issues. Wadephul said he warned Lavrov that further escalation was unacceptable and called on Russia to be ready for talks with Ukraine.

“Of course, we did not reach agreement on fundamental issues. For me, it was important to make it clear: Germany does not accept such actions as the drone attack in Leipzig. That is an escalation that is unacceptable. And I unequivocally warned Russia against continuing such practices. We are capable of protecting ourselves, capable of fighting back — and we will do so. I proposed that he pursue de-escalation, especially in light of the situation in Ukraine. But so far, this has not met with understanding”, he said.

He also said Germany would continue to support Ukraine and exert economic pressure on Russia, stressing that it was not negotiating on behalf of Ukraine.

“I am not negotiating on behalf of Ukraine — the Ukrainians themselves are doing that. I am calling on Russia to engage in dialogue with Ukraine. I made it clear to the Russian side: we stand with Ukraine, provide it with comprehensive support, and economic pressure on Russia will continue. I told Lavrov this again and called on him to finally show readiness for negotiations”, the German foreign minister said.

One of the topics discussed at the meeting was grain supplies. Wadephul said it was necessary to ensure exports of both Ukrainian and Russian grain.

“The immediate priority now is to ensure the possibility of exporting grain; this applies to Russian supplies and, of course, first and foremost to Ukrainian supplies. This is important for these countries themselves, but especially important for the countries of the Global South. Egypt gets a third of its grain from Ukraine. This means that if supplies stop, there will be a threat of famine — primarily in the Global South — and this must be avoided. I strongly advised him to remain open to negotiations. Ukraine is ready for them, and Russia must also show readiness”, he stressed.

Wadephul explained his direct contact with Lavrov by saying that he did not want to leave the United States as the sole channel of communication with Russia. According to him, colleagues had approached him and recommended at some point resuming direct dialogue.

“On the one hand, many colleagues asked me to remain open to dialogue. They advised that at some point we needed to start speaking to each other directly again. In addition, I do not want us Europeans to leave the Americans with the exclusive right to maintain contacts with Russia. That is why I entered into the conversation. We fully understand that there are fundamental differences between us — including at the level of governments. But that also needs to be discussed. Even during the Cold War, dialogue did not stop. And I thought it was right to try to establish the first contact precisely now”, he said.

“Did this become the beginning of further negotiations, or was it a one-off attempt?” the diplomat was asked.

“Essentially, that depends on Russia itself. If Russia is ready for constructive dialogue and — what is especially important — ready to abandon the war against Ukraine, then negotiations will of course be possible. That is why it was important for me to clearly state this message once again: we are united in our support for Ukraine. We are ready for negotiations, but Russia must stop this aggression”, he replied.

In a comment to the dpa news agency after the meeting, Lavrov said he had seen no progress.

“Judging by Berlin’s daily public statements, I did not hear anything new”, he said.

Lavrov said: “You could simply have called me and said: “Read my statement””.

According to the Russian minister, Germany requested the meeting at the last minute. Lavrov also said that during the conversation he got the impression that Wadephul had “deigned” to meet with him.

It is worth noting that Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Johann Wadephul had requested a meeting with Lavrov.