German-Russian meeting in New York: Not satisfactory

What does it say in the language of diplomats? You shouldn't let the thread of conversation break off completely. Federal Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul made exactly such an attempt when he sought a conversation with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the UN general debate in New York on Saturday.

After all, it was the first direct exchange between the chief diplomats of both countries since January 2022. As is well known, the Green Annalena Baerbock was still in office, who was unable to satisfy the Russian side from the start.

Neither is Wadephul. The CDU man had to allow himself to be humiliated and paraded by Lavrov. Lavrov's malicious quintessence of the meeting was that nothing new had been learned from Berlin; a phone call would have done the trick.

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At least on this point there seems to be similarities. Nothing new has been heard from Moscow since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. De-escalation? How come? Russia has absolutely nothing to do with the drones at Leipzig Airport. Instead, the well-known credo: “We’ll keep bombing – negotiations will only take place on our terms.”

And why should Russia act differently? In the Ukrainian territories occupied in violation of international law, residents are being forced to the polls. Two Russian oligarchs are being removed from the EU sanctions list because some EU states consider their particular interests more important than Ukraine. And as if that wasn't enough, Vladimir Putin from the USA was also invited to take part in the G20 summit in Miami.

From Moscow's perspective, one success story follows the next. Why Wadephul still sees opportunities for negotiations remains his secret. One thing is certain: As understandable as the latest initiative may be, it certainly doesn't make you want more.