German foreign minister urges UN action to resolve global crises

Germany has called for concrete progress towards ending wars in Ukraine and the Middle East as world leaders gather in New York for the United Nations General Assembly.

The meeting should not simply take stock of the world's crises and conflicts, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Monday before leaving for New York.

Those responsible should be prepared to "seriously fight for every step, however small, towards a solution," he said.

Wadephul criticized what he described as a shift towards permanent escalation and said Germany would work to overcome the "stifling lack of dialogue between the parties to the conflicts."

He also called on Russia to enter serious negotiations over the war in Ukraine, saying Moscow was increasingly threatening EU and NATO members.

Germany also plans talks on how the UN could take greater responsibility for maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab, where Wadephul said Iran and the Tehran-backed Houthi militia have held the "lifelines of free trade in a stranglehold" for months.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will not attend the UN General Assembly debate after cancelling his planned trip following heavy election losses for his conservative Christian Democrats in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.

Merz is also dealing with fresh political blows after his conservatives suffered heavy losses in Sunday's elections in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin.

Germany will instead be represented by Wadephul, Environment Minister Carsten Schneider and Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan.

Wadephul is due to meet his counterparts from the Group of Seven (G7) major democracies in New York on Monday.

He said the General Assembly offered a unique opportunity for countries to coordinate on major international challenges.