German foreign minister raised grain blockade issue in talks with Lavrov

A spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry, Josef Hinterseer, said that Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul raised the issue of the blockade on grain exports through the Black Sea during his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Several countries had asked Wadephul to bring up the topic, and the minister responded to that request, though no concrete results were reached.

According to the spokesperson, the Black Sea plays a crucial role in supplying the world with grain, particularly wheat, and the issue concerns the entire world, especially countries of the Global South that purchase grain from the Black Sea region, primarily from Ukraine. Hinterseer noted that grain is a perishable commodity requiring urgent action, but stated that progress on the matter has not yet been achieved.

Citing the confidentiality of the talks, the ministry spokesperson declined to go into detail about ongoing negotiations on lifting the Black Sea grain blockade, saying only that efforts by multiple states are aimed at achieving progress in this area.

Wadephul himself had earlier explained that he met with Lavrov to convey that escalation was unacceptable and to ensure that negotiations with Russia would not be left solely to the United States. The meeting between the German and Russian foreign ministers in New York was the first since 2022 — since then, representatives of the two governments have taken part in various international gatherings, but no direct talks at the foreign minister level had taken place.

It was previously reported that on September 23, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Lavrov in New York.