German FM defends Lavrov talks, citing security and grain crisis

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has said his decision to meet Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov was prompted by security concerns and the need to address a worsening food-export crisis.

The two met in New York on Saturday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, the first such talks since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Wadephul said Russia's alleged deployment of armed drones at Leipzig airport had crossed a line, making it necessary to communicate directly that Germany was prepared to defend itself.

"Russia has to understand that we are ready to resist and to defend ourselves," he said in an interview with ARD.

The meeting also came amid diplomatic efforts to revive Russian and Ukrainian Black Sea grain and energy exports, which have been sharply curtailed by attacks on vessels and port infrastructure.

Wadephul said a number of colleagues, especially from the Global South, had asked him to speak with Russia, citing this as the second reason for the talks.

"There is a threat of famine there, and that is why I am advocating for a ceasefire in the Black Sea," he added.

Relations between Moscow and Berlin, a close ally of Ukraine, have been frozen since the invasion, and Wadephul said the diplomatic silence had been necessary. "But now the time had come when I believed we needed to talk," he said.

In a sign of continued frostiness, Lavrov told a news conference that he had learned nothing new from his German counterpart that Berlin had not already said publicly.

"I told him that frankly ... you could just have called me and said: 'read my statement'," Lavrov said.

Wadephul responded that this was how someone reacts when they have no arguments and are in a rather weak position.

"Russia cannot explain to the world why it is continuing this war," he said, adding: "It is senseless, it costs thousands of lives."