EU foreign ministers meet in Ireland to discuss response to Leipzig drone attack
EU foreign ministers gathered in Wicklow, Ireland, to discuss further action after Germany formally blamed Russia for last month's attempted drone attack at Leipzig airport, while German police probe two additional suspicious incidents.
EU foreign ministers convened for informal talks in County Wicklow, Ireland on Wednesday, chaired by the bloc's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, to discuss the response to last month's attempted drone attack on a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig/Halle airport, which Germany has formally attributed to Russia.
Kallas described the incident as bearing all the hallmarks of state-sponsored terrorism and called it a wake-up call for countries that have been slow to back further sanctions on Russia. She said ending the war requires all member states to intensify their efforts. Separately, both the EU and France have summoned senior Russian officials to protest the attack.
German foreign minister Johann Wadephul briefed his counterparts on the investigation and Berlin's reasoning for naming Russia responsible. He said he was encouraged by the strong, unified European backing for Germany's position and confirmed the EU will work in the coming weeks to expand sanctions targeting a large number of individuals.
UK foreign secretary David Miliband said Russia's attempts to divide Europe and weaken support for Ukraine would fail, reaffirming Britain's continued solidarity with Kyiv since the 2022 full-scale invasion.
Ukraine's foreign minister Andrii Sybiha told the meeting it was a fair approach to restart serious discussions on using immobilised Russian assets to support Ukraine, an idea previously pushed by the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden.
Further incidents in Germany
Separately, German police are investigating a suspected deliberate attempt to disrupt the power grid at a substation in Bergheim, in western Germany; authorities say they are not treating it as a technical failure, though the region's power supply was unaffected. This follows a similar incident a day earlier at a substation near a coal-fired power plant in Brandenburg. German authorities remain on high alert over threats to critical infrastructure.
In Augsburg, two people were injured in an explosion near the train station, and a second suspicious object found nearby prompted a temporary suspension of train services. Local media suggested the incident may be linked to organised crime rather than a politically motivated attack, though officials have not confirmed a motive.
