German, Russian Foreign Ministers Meet

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul met Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in New York on Saturday, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly—the first time German and Russian foreign ministers have met since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

• Russia claimed Germany requested the meeting and tried to restrict media access to it.

• Wadephul said the next day he wanted to meet Lavrov because of a growing crisis in food exports, likely a reference to Ukraine’s reduced ability to export wheat. Wadephul also claimed they discussed the recent incident of a Russian drone bomb found at Leipzig airport, saying it crossed a line and that Germany was “ready to resist and to defend ourselves.”

Despite the tough talk, Wadephul said Friday he looked forward to seeing Russian President Vladimir Putin later this year at a G-20 summit.

• United States President Donald Trump has invited Putin to the G-20 summit in Miami in December. If accepted, it will be the first time Putin has joined the conference since 2022.

• While some prominent diplomats haven’t reacted favorably, Wadephul said the summit could be among the “opportunities” Germany and the West “would have to take advantage of” to bring Putin “to the negotiating table.”

Germany claims to oppose Russia’s war on Ukraine, but this is not the first time it has sidelined its Western allies to appease Russia.

For years—sometimes secretly, sometimes openly—Germany has partnered with Russia while both countries have expanded their spheres of influence in Europe. Wadephul’s comments may signal that Germany wants to return to it. Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry elaborated on this pact in his 2018 article “Germany and Russia’s Secret War Against America.”