The German Foreign Minister, Johann Wadephul, held a meeting this Saturday in New York with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, the first bilateral meeting of this level between Berlin and Moscow since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began.
According to the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zajarova, it was Wadephul who took the initiative to meet with Lavrov, taking advantage of the fact that both were in the American city to participate in the annual session of the UN General Assembly.
"The German official requested a meeting with Sergei Lavrov," Zajarova explained in a message posted on social media.
The spokesperson also emphasized the "dozens" of diplomatic contacts that the head of Russian diplomacy has maintained in recent days at the United Nations headquarters in New York. "Heads of government and ministers from countries that the West disdainfully labels as a 'wild jungle' - supposedly due to their low levels of democracy - have come to meet with Sergei Lavrov," she pointed out.
"And now, a representative of the 'beautiful garden', the German official Wadephul, has requested to meet with the Russian Foreign Minister. What do you think? His team demanded restricted access for the media, the guarantee that no questions would be asked, the prohibition of audio recording the initial statements, and the restriction on publishing any material. The Western democracy of the beautiful garden," Zajarova pointed out.