Johan Vadeful at UN: Russia escalates aggression, deepens global food crisis

German Foreign Minister Johan Vadeful told the United Nations that Russia has stepped up aggression toward Europe and is aggravating a worldwide food crisis linked to the war in Ukraine. He spoke during a Security Council session held on the margins of the UN General Assembly on September 24, 2026.

Vadeful cites drone attack on Leipzig airport

Vadeful singled out an early‑August incident at Leipzig airport, where unmanned aerial vehicles targeted Ukrainian cargo planes, and said Berlin holds the Kremlin responsible. "Russian hybrid attacks against those who support Ukraine and international law have reached a new level," he said.

"This is not an isolated case of Russian reckless and dangerous escalation in Europe," Vadeful added, while noting that Moscow denies responsibility for the Leipzig incident.

Turning to humanitarian consequences, the minister warned that, although Ukraine achieved a very good grain harvest this year, export routes remain blocked by attacks on its ports. "By doing so Russia deepens hunger and poverty around the world," he said, and urged an "urgent and full ceasefire, starting from the Black Sea," to secure shipments of grain and foodstuffs.

Vadeful also called for a comprehensive exchange of prisoners and a return to negotiations based on international law that could open the way to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace.

The diplomatic push comes as the United States invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to the G20 summit in Miami in December. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on the margins of the UN General Debate, "We hope he will accept the invitation." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky indicated he was, in principle, willing to meet Putin at the summit. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, however, described such a meeting as "impossible" and reiterated the proposal that Putin should receive Zelensky in Moscow.

Photo: press material from the event