Lavrov Warns Germany Actions Signal Real War Start

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow is at “the start of a real war” with the West, pointing to Germany’s response to what Berlin says was an attack on Leipzig airport using an explosive drone.

Berlin Expels Russian Diplomatic Staff

Germany accused Russia of carrying out the failed drone attack on Leipzig airport, which was discovered in early August. In response, Berlin expelled the Russian consulate general in Bonn and closed the Russian House, a cultural centre in Berlin.

Lavrov said the measures formed part of a wider pattern of German steps that he argued showed tensions were escalating. He also suggested that some of the actions resembled developments he said preceded the Second World War.

Lavrov Links Berlin Moves to Past Conflicts

Speaking on Russian state television, Lavrov described the latest German decisions as an escalation, including the expulsion from Bonn and the shutdown of the Russian House in Berlin. He said Germany wanted confrontation rather than negotiations, and compared the current situation to events he recalled from the lead-up to the Second World War.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow has waged what it describes as a “hybrid” campaign against Germany and other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies supporting Kyiv. Hybrid warfare, as characterised in the reporting, combines conventional military methods with covert tactics such as cyber attacks, disinformation and sabotage intended to weaken an opponent without direct physical aggression.

US Envoys Push for Ukraine Talks

Lavrov’s remarks came as the Kremlin-friendly Alternative for Germany (AfD) was forecast to win a major share in a key regional election.

Meanwhile, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Moscow and Kyiv in an effort to revive peace talks. Their trip to Ukraine took place on Sunday and followed talks with Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday. The meeting with Putin was their first in Moscow since January, after President Donald Trump’s policy on Iran shifted Washington’s attention away from Europe and towards the Middle East.

Volodymyr Zelensky met the US envoys in Kyiv’s Sophia Square, near the historic St Sophia Cathedral and opposite the headquarters of Ukraine’s intelligence service, which was hit by a Russian drone on Friday afternoon.

Zelensky said the talks in Kyiv would be “constructive”. In a post on Telegram, he said Kyiv wanted to bring an end to the war closer, adding that peace was needed alongside security guarantees and a “just and sustainable” post-war settlement, with Ukraine’s proposals already prepared.

Capital Strikes Pause, Other Attacks Continue

Both Russia and Ukraine agreed to halt strikes against each other’s capitals for three days during the visit by the US envoys. Ukrainian authorities said, however, that Russian forces continued to attack other locations across Ukraine.

It was unclear whether the weekend of US diplomacy would produce any progress after the Moscow meeting on Saturday ended without an announced breakthrough. The Kremlin said Putin also dined with the US envoys during the trip.

Witkoff, a real estate figure who has moved into high-level diplomacy, has previously been accused of coaching the Russian side on how to flatter Donald Trump in negotiations. He was reported to have used a similar approach during meetings at the Kremlin.

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7 September 2026