Berlin said on Monday that its first direct talks with Moscow since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine showed the two sides remain "miles apart" and that Russia is still unwilling to engage in serious negotiations to end the war.
"Our positions were, of course, miles apart, a fact that has once again become apparent," a foreign ministry spokesperson said, two days after a meeting between German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and
Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
The spokesperson added that the talks had reinforced Berlin's conclusion that Moscow remains unwilling to negotiate either a ceasefire or an end to the war in Ukraine.