BERLIN — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Tuesday Moscow had proven it was not ready for “serious talks” after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov criticized a surprise meeting with his German counterpart. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul held a meeting with Lavrov at the U.N. on Saturday in what marked the first meeting between ministers from the two countries since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Following the meeting, Lavrov characterized Wadephul's positions during the talks as "nothing new." Merz struck back at the Russian foreign minister at a press conference in Berlin.
"I pointed that out to him there was nothing new for me to hear. I frankly told him I thought he had something interesting and unusual to say. They could have made it a telephone conversation and just told us to read their official statements.” Before the meeting with Lavrov, Wadephul had called Trump’s invite for Russian President Vladimir Putin to the G20 meeting in Miami in December an “opportunity,” opening up questions about whether Germany was shifting its diplomatic stance on Russia.
Wadephul later said he had sought the meeting to tell Lavrov that Germany was prepared to defend itself after explosive-laden drones were spotted at a German airport — an incident Berlin blamed on Moscow. Wadephul also said he wanted to discuss growing concerns about a global food crisis as efforts continue to revive a grain deal between Russia and Ukraine. On Tuesday, Merz reiterated the German government’s longstanding demands of the Kremlin: that Russia stop its invasion, that Europeans have a seat at the table in any negotiations on terms for ending the war, and that Ukraine be given a path to EU membership.
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