Sergey Lavrov provided his counterpart, Johann Wadephul, with a document alleging the events in Bucha were staged by the Ukrainian government during a visit in New York. The meeting between the foreign ministers of Russia and Germany lasted approximately 20 minutes on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and concluded without any public disclosure of the specific topics discussed. Russian officials reported that Wadephul requested the encounter and asked that all journalists be barred from the session.

The discussions were the first between the two countries' top diplomats in 4.5 years, with the last contact occurring on Jan 18, 2022. Relations have deteriorated following German accusations that Russia was involved in drone sabotage in Leipzig and at a military airbase in Wunstorf. These events led to the mutual closure of the German consulate in St. Petersburg and the Russian consulate in Bonn, as well as the shuttering of the Russian House in Berlin and Goethe-Institut offices.