Wadephul and Merz’s position — Lavrov’s response

The opening explains who Wadephul and Lavrov are, their meeting in New York and its roughly 20-minute duration. Asked about Lavrov’s dismissive assessment, Wadephul describes sharp disagreements but defends talking and reiterating Germany’s position. Merz outlines a ceasefire first, territorial talks without recognizing Russian occupation, and continued support for Ukraine’s defense. Zakharova introduces Lavrov’s press conference. A dpa reporter asks what he told Wadephul and about German–Russian relations. Lavrov says Wadephul read familiar positions from notes, delivers his “read my speech” criticism, cites earlier agreements he alleges Germany and France failed to honor, and says Russia is ready to return to what he calls the Anchorage agreement. The last excerpt does not explain its terms. Edited comparison: Merz spoke on 13 August 2025, Wadephul and Lavrov on 26 September 2026; they are not a continuous exchange or a direct reply to Merz’s specific proposal.

Sep 26

At his September 26 UN press conference, Lavrov argues that confidence in Ukraine negotiations depends on implementing agreements. He recounts the 2014 settlement, Minsk, the 2019 Normandy summit and the 2022 Istanbul principles, accusing Ukraine and European governments of obstructing them. He says Russia accepted the U.S.-proposed Anchorage principles and remains prepared to return to those understandings, while criticizing Europe's negotiating role. His allegations about sabotage, motives and agreed terms remain attributed. Vremya's September 26 account relays the readiness statement and changing U.S. mediation language. No new accepted settlement or negotiating schedule is disclosed.