France summons Russian envoy to protest alleged Leipzig airport drone attacks

France is summoning Russia’s chargé d’affaires in Paris after Germany attributed drone attacks at Leipzig airport in early August to Moscow.

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to protest with force

Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the meeting would serve as a forceful protest based on evidence gathered by Germany. He said the evidence showed an intention to sabotage an aircraft at the airport and its logistics facilities.

Speaking during a European Union foreign ministers’ meeting in Ireland, Barrot described the attacks as part of what he called Russia’s continuing aggression since the start of the war. He said European countries would need to respond with sanctions because an act of that seriousness could not go unanswered.

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an act of that seriousness cannot go without consequences

Barrot also backed further work by the so-called anti-ballistic coalition, established in Paris on July 13 to help Ukraine develop and manufacture missiles capable of intercepting Russian missiles. He recalled that President Emmanuel Macron had told Volodymyr Zelenskyy that France would urgently send interceptor missiles to Ukraine.

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destabilize the European Union, democratic processes, but also its support for Ukraine

The French foreign minister said Moscow was trying to destabilize the European Union, democratic processes and European support for Ukraine. He argued that the strategy had failed because support for Ukraine had instead grown stronger. France will back proposed sanctions and suggest additional measures against vessels in Russia’s shadow fleet, which Moscow uses to bypass sanctions imposed directly on it.

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a failure