EU holds talks on response to Leipzig drone attack after Germany formally blames Moscow for incident – Europe live

Britain’s foreign secretary Ed Miliband is also taking part in today’s talks in Ireland.

“We see an attempt by Russia to divide us in Europe and to deter us from our support for Ukraine. And I say very clearly today, on behalf of the United Kingdom, this attempt will fail.”

He says that the UK “will stand shoulder to shoulder with our friends with Ukraine,” as it has since the full-scale invasion in ۲۰۲۲.

He says the UK knows Russia’s tactics “from the past Russian attacks on our soil,” and “these attempts to divide us will not work.”

Wadephul says he is “impressed by the strong European support” for Berlin’s decision to attribute the Leipzig attack to Russia, with “a great deal of unity” from colleagues.

“It is very important that Russia clearly sees that Europe stands together,” he says.

He says Russia “must understand” that its approach will not work.

He says the German decision to attribute the attack to Russia was “a well-founded opinion and judgment.”

“Russia must now live with the consequences,” he says, pointing to “necessary and appropriate response” proposed yesterday.

Wadephul says that in the coming weeks the EU will be working on expanding its sanctions, which would target “a large number of individuals.”

Let’s go back to Wicklow and listen to German foreign minister Johann Wadephul, who will be briefing his EU counterparts today on the latest in the Leipzig investigation and Berlin’s reasoning for formally naming Russia as responsible for the attempted drone attack.

He’s speaking now.

Separately, German police are also investigating another attempt to disrupt the country’s energy grid, this time at a electricity substation in Bergheim in the west of the country.

A local police spokesperson said they are “not assuming a technical failure but a deliberate act,” without revealing more details. The region’s power supply was not affected.

Again, like with yesterday’s incident at a substation near a coal-fired power plant in Brandenburg, the issue of attribution here is not straightforward.

AFP notes that German authorities are on high alert for ​attacks on ​vital infrastructure after Berlin blamed ​Russia for an attempted drone attack on a ​Ukrainian cargo ‌plane at ​Leipzig/Halle airport ​last month and ordered a series of measures in response.

But Germany’s electricity grid has been hit by attacks before, including by suspected left-wing militants.

Again, I will keep an eye on updates on this.

Two people were injured after an unknown object exploded near a train station in the southern German city of Augsburg.

A separate suspicious object was later found nearby, prompting police to temporarily suspend train services and close the station.

But, and that’s an important caveat, local media are reporting that the incident may be linked to organised crime rather than anything else, though authorities are yet to confirm a motive.

I will keep an eye on this for you.

Morning opening: EU holds talks on response to Leipzig attack

Jakub Krupa

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Russia’s attempted drone attack at Leipzig airport last month “had all the hallmarks of state sponsored terrorism,” as she prepares to lead talks on the bloc’s political reaction.

Kallas will host today’s informal talks between EU foreign ministers in Wicklow, Ireland, focusing on “what more we can do” after Germany formally blamed Russia for last month’s security incident.

She said the incident should serve as a “wake-up call” for those countries that have been dragging their feet on further sanctions against Russia. “If we want to end this war, we all have to focus our efforts, take it to a new level,” she said.

Separately, the EU and France have summoned top Russian officials to protest against the attack.

Kallas said the discussions will also look at how the EU can further help Ukraine when “Russia is escalating and killing the civilians and causing as much harm as they can.”

Later today, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen will separately meet with Nato’s Mark Rutte, with the Leipzig incident and Ukraine also set to dominate their talks.

I will bring you all the details here.

Elsewhere, Dutch prime minister Rob Jetten will host French president Emmanuel Macron today, who is then expected in Britain for talks with PM Andy Burnham.

It’s Wednesday, ۲ September ۲۰۲۶, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.

Good morning.