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Nausėda on Germany’s Response to Drone Incident: We Must Stand Together Against the Threat from the East
🇱🇹 Lithuania /Technology

Nausėda on Germany’s Response to Drone Incident: We Must Stand Together Against the Threat from the East

From Delfi · () Lithuanian

Translated from Lithuanian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nausėda said Western countries must remain united after Germany linked a drone incident at Leipzig-Halle Airport to Russian government agencies.
  • German officials said three drones were found at the airport, including one carrying explosives and a detonator, and announced measures targeting Russian diplomatic facilities and entry controls.
  • Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected the accusations and called Germany’s response a major mistake.

Gitanas Nausėda says the most important response to the drone incident at Leipzig-Halle Airport is Western solidarity. “Civilized democratic world will remain together and support one another,” the Lithuanian president told reporters.

On Aug. 4, a drone carrying explosives and a detonator was found in the airport’s security zone among Ukrainian cargo aircraft. Two more drones were later discovered. German officials said the organizers and perpetrators acted on the instructions of Russian government agencies.

Civilized democratic world will remain together and support one another.

— Gitanas NausėdaThe Lithuanian president said Western unity would withstand Russian efforts to divide democratic countries.

Nausėda said Russia seeks to destabilize democratic societies and adjusts its actions to their political cycles. “Unfortunately, despite our efforts, the other side, Russia, is planning actions that could destabilize society and cause a certain political stir, because they closely follow what is happening in democratic societies, what the political cycle is, and they target where it hurts and where it is sensitive,” he said.

Unfortunately, despite our efforts, the other side, Russia, is planning actions that could destabilize society and cause a certain political stir, because they closely follow what is happening in democratic societies, what the political cycle is, and they target where it hurts and where it is sensitive.

— Gitanas NausėdaHe described what he said were Russian efforts to exploit political tensions in democratic societies.

He acknowledged that some might view Germany’s response as either too weak or too strong. But he said Lithuania considered it more important to express solidarity and show that Western countries must stand together against the threat from the East. “They will not succeed, because we are all together, while they are alone and isolated, and I hope they will remain isolated,” Nausėda said.

Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of continuing to worsen relations between the two countries. Berlin said it would close the last Russian consulate operating in Germany, in Bonn, from Sept. 18, and the Russian House in Berlin. It also said it planned tighter controls on the entry of Russian citizens.

They will not succeed, because we are all together, while they are alone and isolated, and I hope they will remain isolated.

— Gitanas NausėdaNausėda rejected the idea that the incident could split Western countries.

Putin rejected Germany’s accusations as unfounded and called Berlin’s response to the drone incident “a major mistake.” He said the German government was using the accusations to divert public attention from domestic economic problems.

A major mistake.

— Vladimir PutinPutin characterized Germany’s response to the drone incident.
About this summary

Originally published by Delfi in Lithuanian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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