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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met his German counterpart Johann Wadevogel at the United Nations headquarters on Saturday, in the first such meeting since Moscow invaded Ukraine.
The talks took place amid rising tensions between Berlin and Moscow in recent weeks, as Germany blamed Russia for a drone attack on Leipzig Airport. Subsequently, both countries ordered the closure of each other's consulate.
Lavrov, who is scheduled to speak at the United Nations in New York later today, met former German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in January 2022, less than a month before the start of the Russian attack on Ukraine.
Direct flights between Russia and Germany have been suspended since the start of the invasion.
The media were not allowed to cover Saturday's meeting. The Ukrainian file is likely to top the agenda.
TASS news agency quoted Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying that before the meeting with Lavrov, the German side requested that media coverage not be allowed, noting that the meeting was initiated by Berlin.
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