NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned that Russia is becoming "increasingly reckless," citing recent incidents like a drone attack at Leipzig Airport in Germany. Rutte highlighted a rise in drones and missiles crossing allied airspace along Europe's eastern flank and increasing "malign activities" targeting NATO territory, including alleged fires at defense equipment factories and the Leipzig attack. Both leaders stressed that NATO and the EU are working diligently to protect their populations.
Germany officially blamed Russia for the attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport, a key logistics hub for military cargo, including Ukrainian Antonov flights. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt stated that Russian intelligence services planned the plot, carried out by lower-level operatives. Following this, the EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, characterized the incident as having "all the hallmarks of state-sponsored terrorism," leading EU countries to summon Russia's envoys and discuss further sanctions.
Von der Leyen described the Leipzig incident, which involved a drone laden with explosives, as a "new escalation" and warned that such events represent a "new normal" for Europe as Russia intensifies destabilizing activities. EU foreign ministers agreed to continue developing proposals for sanctions on 1,600 individuals and entities linked to Russia's military industry and to consider banning visas for Russians who fought in Ukraine, along with stricter tourist visa rules. Additionally, Ukraine has requested several billion euros in new air defense support, including advanced Patriot systems, which member states are currently considering. Discussions have also resurfaced regarding the use of approximately €200 billion in frozen Russian central bank assets to fund Ukraine.
