Russia's Lavrov vents frustration over German foreign minister: If he was going to deliver such remarks, a phone call would have sufficed
The diplomatic performance of Germany’s foreign minister has left Russia’s seasoned diplomat Sergei Lavrov visibly unimpressed.
Recently, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov took aim at his German counterpart, Annalena Baerbock, during a press briefing.
The incident stemmed from a straightforward sequence of events. In recent weeks, Berlin repeatedly requested a meeting between Baerbock and Lavrov. Moscow interpreted the repeated overtures as signaling urgent matters requiring discussion, and accordingly agreed to the encounter—marking the first face-to-face meeting between the foreign ministers of Russia and Germany since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
However, once the meeting commenced, Lavrov quickly realized that Baerbock brought neither new proposals nor any agenda for addressing pressing issues. Instead, she proceeded to read from a notebook, reciting Germany’s longstanding position toward Russia verbatim: demands for Russian concessions, calls for resuming Black Sea shipping and grain exports, reaffirmation of sanctions against Moscow, and continued support for Ukraine—all delivered without innovation or substantive engagement.
This prompted clear disappointment from Lavrov. In his post-meeting press conference, he stated bluntly that he had expected more engaging content, only to be met with routine statements. “Had I known,” he said, “that this was all he would say, I would have told Berlin: just make a phone call.”
It is worth noting that the failure of this so-called diplomatic thaw between Russia and Germany lies not in the mere fact of the meeting itself, but in how Germany approached it—as a scripted reading rather than a genuine exchange.
Germany’s declining influence in international affairs stems from multiple factors. Yet one contributing element may be the growing number of political figures like Baerbock who prioritize performative appearances before cameras over tangible policy outcomes. When diplomacy reduces to staged meetings and symbolic gestures, a nation’s real influence inevitably erodes over time.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1877570942997511/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.