Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the UN on Saturday that Europe was doing everything it could to thwart peace talks on the Ukraine war, which he said the Trump administration was interested in. He vowed Moscow would achieve its aims in Ukraine.
Earlier Saturday, Lavrov met German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, the first meeting between the countries' foreign ministers since before Russia invaded Ukraine. Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Berlin initiated the closed-door meeting, which lasted about 20 minutes.
The meeting came amid escalating tensions: Germany accused Russia of orchestrating an attempted drone attack on Leipzig airport, and each country ordered the other's consulate closed. A German diplomat said Wadephul condemned Russia's ongoing, increasingly targeted aggression against Ukrainian civilians and said the Leipzig incident or further hybrid attacks would not weaken Germany's support for Ukraine.
