EU’s Kallas says Leipzig attack had hallmarks of state-sponsored terrorism

European Union's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas declared that the failed drone attack in Leipzig displayed all the characteristics of state-sponsored terrorism. She made this assessment ahead of an informal gathering of European foreign ministers in Ireland. Kallas also revealed that the EU is currently working on sanction listings relating to Russia's military sector, with potentially more to be added in the future.

The German government had previously concluded that Russia was responsible for the attempted drone attack that took place last month in Leipzig.

During the talks, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen and Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys emphasized the need to explore all available options for tightening sanctions against Russia. They also stressed that Russia appears to be unconcerned about the political repercussions of its hybrid activities against European countries.

German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher announced that the EU would consider imposing additional sanctions on Russian individuals in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha expressed his gratitude for the support from European countries, stating that Ukraine is facing daily attacks.

Some European ministers voiced concerns about the risks stemming from Russia's actions following the Leipzig incident. Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel emphasized the lack of will from the Russian side to de-escalate the situation and warned that the danger was coming closer to Luxembourg. The Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and Sweden have previously called for reopening discussions on using Russia's frozen assets, an idea that continues to be debated among EU countries.