The European Union has assured this Wednesday that it is working on new sanctions and on strengthening the implementation of those already imposed against a Russia that not only has no intention of ending its war against Ukraine but is also increasingly "reckless" in its hybrid attacks against kyiv's European allies. This is demonstrated by the frustrated attack with drones loaded with explosives against the airport in the German city of Leipzig at the beginning of August.
The incident, for which the Government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz has held Moscow directly responsible this week, is not one more in the long hybrid war that Russia maintains against the EU for its support of Ukraine. The serious case reported by Germany marks, as senior European officials consider, a turning point because it had "all the characteristics of State-sponsored terrorism", as denounced by the head of Foreign Policy of the European Union, Kaja Kallas, at the informal meeting of Foreign Ministers in the Irish town of Wicklow, where the question of how to further tighten the screws on Moscow, unanimously censured for the Leipzig attack, has occupied a good part of the discussions.
"We are talking about an attack carried out with military-grade material by Russian agents on EU territory. We will not tolerate it," the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, also stressed in a joint appearance in Brussels with the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, with whom she denounced an "escalation" of Moscow's actions that, all senior officials agree, requires "more pressure", with new sanctions against the Government of Vladimir Putin.
After 21 sanction packages since the start of the war in 2022, the room for maneuver is however reduced. However, European Foreign Affairs officials have already started discussions to see “what more can be done,” according to Kallas.
The Russian arms industry is in the crosshairs, according to the head of the European Foreign Service. As indicated, work is already underway on a list of more than 1,600 people and entities related to the Russian military-industrial complex to be added to the European blacklist. It is the “largest” package so far, stressed the Estonian politician, who has also insisted on the need to strengthen the application of the sanctions already imposed. In this sense, he stressed that Ukraine has identified more than 5,500 Western and Asian components in Russian weapons. "After four years of war, this is inexcusable. Those components should not be there," he emphasized.
Paris, for its part, intended to propose new European sanctions against the ships of the so-called Russian ghost fleet, thus strengthening its response to the actions it attributes to Moscow, reports Daniel Verdú. The high representative assured at the end of the meeting that there is also again "broad support" to advance a visa ban to enter the EU for Russian ex-combatants, as demanded especially by the Baltic countries, and "tougher" visa restrictions for Russian tourists, something that had been lowered before the summer due to pressure from several capitals.
“It is not right that the country bombs Ukraine, killing more civilians than ever in this war during July and August, and in the meantime the Russians enter [the EU] and enjoy the hospitality of European countries,” Kallas stressed. According to the newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung and the German regional broadcasters NDR and WDR, one of the two men with a Russian passport identified by the German police as alleged perpetrators of the foiled Leipzig attack would have entered the Schengen area through Italy, with a tourist visa. If this information is confirmed, “I hope it will convince certain Member States that have opposed moving forward on visa restrictions that, in reality, what is at stake is both our security and that of Ukraine,” Kallas said.
During the meeting, he indicated, the issue of using frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine was also raised again, as proposed on the eve of the Irish meeting by Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands and Poland, although this point continues to be opposed by Belgium.
This Tuesday, the German Government formally pointed out that Russia was responsible for this attack, which was carried out on August 4 and targeted Ukrainian cargo planes. “If that attack had been successful, it would have caused enormous damage and possibly even loss of life,” Von der Leyen stressed a day later.
“The dangers posed by Russia are evident, and we are working tirelessly to ensure that we are prepared to guarantee the safety of our population,” Rutte said. "If Russia believes that this threat will divide us, or if it thinks it will dissuade us from supporting Ukraine, it is wrong. Our unity is unbreakable. Our support for Ukraine is clear," he maintained.
"Russia must understand that it is not its threats, its hybrid or non-hybrid attacks that will change the EU's position. This is anchored in fundamental values of international law: respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity and peace. And that is why we will maintain support for Ukraine even if Russia threatens us," agreed the president of the European Council, António Costa, from Luxembourg.
Following the accusations from Berlin, the EU and several European countries such as France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal and Germany itself have summoned Russian diplomatic representatives to their capitals. According to the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Jean-Noël Barrot, the intention is to “strongly protest” to the Russian diplomatic affairs officer in Paris about the “hybrid attack” attributed to Russia. An attempt, he stated from Wicklow, whose "result is a failure (...) our support for Ukraine has not ceased to strengthen. We will not leave an act of such gravity without consequences," he promised. “Russia cannot take for granted that it can carry out this type of operations in our countries without consequences,” said its Belgian counterpart, Maxime Prévot.
The German Foreign Minister, Johann Wadephul, thanked the abundant expressions of solidarity and welcomed the efforts to sanction Russia even more harshly.
"Pressure on Russia is intensifying and support for Ukraine also remains at a high level. That is the unity we are demonstrating at the moment," said Wadephul, for whom Moscow must pay because it is primarily responsible for the new tension: "Russia has caused this escalation and will now have to assume the consequences," he concluded.
