EU's Kallas calls alleged Russian drone plot 'state sponsored terrorism' as Europe mulls a response

Kallas: Airport Attack Bears 'Hallmarks of State Sponsored Terrorism'

The European Union's top diplomat on Wednesday described an attempted attack on a German airport, which Berlin has blamed on Russia, as appearing to be "state sponsored terrorism," as member countries consider how to respond.

Speaking before chairing a meeting of the bloc's defense ministers in Ireland, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told reporters: "It is clear that it has all the hallmarks of state sponsored terrorism. The question is: what do we do about this."

Germany on Tuesday accused Russia of being behind the attempted attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport on August 4, saying a drone carrying explosives was found near a Ukrainian plane and later defused. German officials said at the time that the incident posed a new level of danger. Berlin also announced it would shut down a Russian consulate among other measures.

Broader Pattern of Sabotage Allegations

Western officials have widely accused Moscow of running a campaign of sabotage and disruption aimed at undermining support for Ukraine and destabilizing European countries. The nature of the attempted attack and Germany's attribution of it to Russia appear to call for a new approach from the EU, and possibly NATO, although member states remain cautious about being drawn into open conflict with the nuclear-armed country.

EU Moves Toward More Sanctions

The EU is already preparing more sanctions over Russia's war on Ukraine and has, Kallas said, "in the pipeline 1,600 listings for the military complex of Russia, and maybe there are more to be added."

The bloc has already imposed almost two dozen rounds of sanctions on Russia, targeting about 3,000 people and entities, including President Vladimir Putin, several oligarchs who support him and many Russian lawmakers. Russian banks and financial institutions have also been targeted, along with hundreds of ships in a shadow fleet used to move oil and support Putin's war effort, and many companies, especially energy firms and drone manufacturers. The measures mainly involve asset freezes and travel bans, and the EU list also includes people and companies from countries seen as backing Russia, including Belarus, China, Iran and North Korea.