Russian foreign minister rejects Berlin's call to abandon 'dangerous' escalation

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has dismissed Germany's plea to abandon "dangerous escalation" as he accused Berlin of being Ukraine's main sponsor. The two met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul urged Moscow to end its "dangerous path of escalation" towards Europe, suggesting Berlin was open to improving relations with Russia if the Kremlin showed genuine willingness to end the war in Ukraine.

In response, Lavrov accused Berlin of not learning the lessons of World War II, saying Chancellor Merz is stating that Germany must once again be a leading military power in Europe. He also dismissed Lavrov's meeting with Wadephul as not yielding any new initiative, stating that the Russian diplomat merely reiterated his official position condemning Russia.

Tensions between Germany and Russia have been high since early September when Berlin accused Russia of being behind a drone attack at Leipzig/Halle airport. Germany responded with new measures against Russia, including closing the Russian consulate in Bonn and Russia's Berlin cultural center, implementing tighter border controls for Russian nationals, and increasing pressure on Russia's shadow fleet.

The Russian embassy in Germany denied the claims and threatened consequences over the sanctions. Lavrov dismissed the incident as an "unclaimed drone" and said Germany had immediately claimed it was Russian. He accused the US of destroying the European security system and creating a "russophobic regime in Kyiv" while accusing the West of aspiring to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Kremlin is not preparing to end the war any time soon, stating that Putin always finds lame excuses not to meet, hold a trilateral, talk, or end the conflict.