Germany called on Russia to stop attacks on Ukraine’s energy sector.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in New York, called on Moscow to stop attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

The Associated Press reports this, citing sources.

The meeting took place on September 26 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and lasted approximately 20 minutes. It marked the first talks between the German and Russian foreign ministers since January 2022.

According to sources, Wadephul called on Russia to “stop the dangerous path of escalation” against Germany, Europe, and NATO. He also insisted on resuming grain exports via the Black Sea and ending attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

The German minister also emphasized that incidents related to possible Russian hybrid attacks will not undermine Berlin’s support for Ukraine.

After the meeting, Lavrov stated that nothing new had emerged from the German initiative. He also denied accusations of obstructing shipping in the Black Sea and claimed that Russia had not attacked a single commercial vessel.

Lavrov called the drone at Leipzig Airport a “nobody’s drone” and claimed that it was groundlessly linked to Russia.

As a reminder, Russian President Vladimir Putin will likely not agree to limiting strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure until after winter. Russia may view a long-range campaign as a way to increase pressure on Ukraine amid the lack of significant gains on the front lines.