Tensions between Berlin and Moscow escalate, Lavrov responds harshly to the German minister and reminds him of World War II
Tensions between Germany and Russia have escalated following the meeting of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov with his German counterpart Johann Wadephul in New York, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
During the meeting, Wadephul urged Moscow to abandon what he called a dangerous path of escalation towards Europe. According to the Associated Press, the German minister also said that Berlin is ready to improve relations with Russia if the Kremlin shows that it is genuinely ready to end the war in Ukraine.
Lavrov rejected this position and accused Germany of being one of the main supporters of Ukraine. During his speech to the General Assembly, he also referred to statements by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz about strengthening Germany's military role in Europe.
"Does Berlin understand where this could lead? Haven't they learned the lessons of World War II?" Lavrov said.
After the speech, the Russian minister was also asked about the meeting with Wadephul. He said that the conversation did not bring any new developments and that the German counterpart simply repeated Berlin's public stance against Russia.
Relations between the two countries were further strained in early September, after Germany accused Russia of being behind a drone attack on Leipzig/Halle airport earlier in the year.
Wadephul announced new measures against Russia at the time, holding Moscow responsible for what Germany described as a hybrid attack. The measures included the closure of the Russian consulate in Bonn and the Russian cultural center in Berlin. He also announced stricter border controls for Russian citizens and additional measures against Russia's secret fleet.
Moscow has denied the accusations. The Russian embassy in Germany called Berlin's claims unfounded and warned that the German measures would have consequences for relations between the two countries.
The Russian ambassador to Germany, Sergey Nechayev, said the accusations were unfounded and that the measures taken by Germany represented an unprecedented escalation of Russian-German relations. Lavrov brought up the drone issue during his speech, describing it as an “unidentified drone” and saying that Germany had immediately linked the incident to Russia.
In his speech, Lavrov also criticized the policy of the United States and Western countries towards Russia. He accused Washington of undermining the European security system and the West of aiming for Russia's strategic defeat.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he believes the Kremlin is not preparing to end the war in the near future. He accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of constantly finding reasons to avoid meetings and negotiations and to continue the war.