German Chancellor Merz says Moscow is not ready for negotiations — Politico Europe
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in Berlin that, in his opinion, the Russian Federation’s — the aggressor state’s — subsequent reaction to the meeting of the foreign ministers indicates that it is currently not interested in serious negotiations. As Politico Europe reports, Merz responded this way to critical comments by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov regarding talks with his German counterpart Johann Wadephul.
Merz said that Germany would continue helping Ukraine not only in the military sphere, but also politically, financially and economically.
Meeting at UN headquarters
Wadephul held a meeting with Lavrov at UN headquarters on Saturday. It was the first meeting between the ministers of the two countries since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. After the talks, Lavrov said that the German minister’s positions contained nothing new and repeated public statements by Germany’s leadership.
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Lavrov also said that Wadephul could have limited himself to a telephone conversation and referred to Berlin’s official statements. Before the meeting, Wadephul called the possibility of US President Donald Trump inviting Vladimir Putin to the G20 summit in Miami in December.
Berlin’s position
Wadephul later explained that he wanted to inform Lavrov of Germany’s readiness to defend itself after drones carrying explosives were spotted at an airport in Germany. Berlin placed responsibility for the incident on Moscow. The minister also wanted to discuss concerns over the global food crisis amid attempts to restore the grain deal between Russia and Ukraine.
Merz reiterated the German government’s demands to the Kremlin: end the invasion of Ukraine, ensure Europeans’ participation in negotiations on the terms for ending the war, and provide Ukraine with a path to membership in the European Union. The chancellor also said that Russia would not win the war and, if it continues, would suffer significant losses, including economic ones.
