Russia has rejected German calls to ease its escalation toward NATO, after Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met his German counterpart Johann Wadephul in New York on Saturday. It was believed to be the first such meeting since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly at Wadephul’s request. A German delegation official said he urged Russia to abandon its “dangerous path of escalation” toward Germany, Europe and NATO.

Lavrov was dismissive afterwards. He said Wadephul had “simply reiterated his official position condemning Russia,” adding: “You can judge for yourself whether that counts as dialogue or not.”

In his UN speech, Lavrov accused Germany of being Ukraine’s main sponsor and asked, “Didn’t they not learn the lessons of World War II?” He also said Russia would veto any bid by Germany or Japan for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. Ties have soured after a drone attack at Leipzig airport last month that Berlin blamed on the Kremlin.

Hours after the meeting, Russian strikes killed at least two people in Ukraine, officials said. Moscow shows no sign of softening its stance as the war grinds on.