Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, met with his German counterpart on Saturday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. It was the first meeting between the two countries at this level since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine over four years ago.
Mr. Lavrov said the German foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, had requested the meeting a day earlier.
According to the Russian minister, Mr. Wadephul reiterated Berlin’s positions on Ukraine and requested that Russia make some concessions on the Ukraine front and on the safe passage of ships and tankers in the Black Sea.
Mr. Wadephul said on social media that he had conveyed to Mr. Lavrov when they met that Russia “must end its war of aggression against Ukraine and cease its hostile actions against Germany and its allies.”
The meeting came as Europe has grown increasingly anxious about Russia launching a new wave of attacks on Ukraine, and as European leaders are stepping up their warnings about Moscow’s shadow war and threats against NATO nations. The United States has also raised concerns about Russia’s alliance with Iran and how it has provided Tehran intelligence and satellite imagery for its attacks targeting American bases in the Middle East.
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has not attended the annual gathering of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly since his country invaded Ukraine in 2022. Mr. Lavrov has represented Russia instead, and spoke on Saturday. (Because the order of speeches is based in part on speakers’ ranks, countries represented by a minister typically take their turn at the end of the weeklong event.)
