Germany's foreign minister raises grain blockade issue at meeting with Lavrov

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul raised the issue of the Black Sea grain blockade during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, though the discussion produced no tangible outcome. This was reported by German Foreign Ministry spokesman Josef Hinterseer, cited by DW via the outlet "Yevropeiska Pravda".

According to the spokesman, representatives of several countries had asked Wadephul to raise the grain blockade topic with Lavrov. The German minister responded to the request, but no concrete progress was achieved on the matter.

Black Sea's role in grain supply

Hinterseer emphasized that the Black Sea holds exceptional importance for the world's grain supply, particularly wheat. He noted that the issue concerns the entire world, including countries of the Global South, many of which purchase grain directly from the Black Sea region, primarily from Ukraine. The spokesman recalled that grain is a perishable commodity requiring urgent action, but stated that progress has not yet been achieved.

Citing the confidentiality of the matter, the German Foreign Ministry spokesman declined to go into detail about ongoing negotiations to lift the Black Sea grain blockade, only indicating that efforts by multiple states are aimed at achieving progress.

First meeting since 2022

Wadephul himself had earlier explained that he held the meeting with Lavrov to convey to him the unacceptability of escalation, and to prevent negotiations with Russia from being 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 German and Russian governments have taken part in various international events, 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.