The foreign ministers of Germany, France, and Poland, gathered within the framework of the so-called Weimar Triangle, emphasized this Thursday that Moscow is intensifying its hostility against Europe coinciding with the escalation of the war in Ukraine. In this scenario, they made it clear that European partners will react and that there will be "consequences" in response to actions such as the attempted attack at Leipzig airport, which Berlin attributes to Russia.
After the meeting held in the German city of Weimar, where this cooperation format was born in 1991, the German foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, thanked the support shown to Germany after denouncing that Russia is behind the thwarted drone attack against Leipzig airfield. In this context, he emphasized that "Europe remains united when Russia tries to destabilize the security and societies" of the continent.
"We continue with our support and increase pressure on Moscow to engage in serious negotiations. The attacks and threats from Russia are directed against all of us. Together we strengthen our resilience," he declared, calling for a Europe "capable of acting and strong."
The French minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, sent a direct message to the Kremlin by assuring that Europe "will respond" to acts of "seriousness" such as the one that occurred at Leipzig airport.
"It is evident that when there is an attack against the territorial integrity of the European Union, against NATO territory, against the integrity of our electoral processes; ultimately, whenever the heart of our states and our democracies is affected by attacks, even if they are hybrid, we will respond," he emphasized.
The French minister asked, "What image would we give if we were not able to respond when the most essential is attacked, that which can never be compromised?" to emphasize that when such actions occur, "there will be consequences."
Barrot attributed to the Kremlin an escalation in the intensity of the conflict. "Ukraine is the one suffering the aggression and Europe is a victim of a heightened aggressiveness from Russia since February 24, 2022," he indicated, insisting that on the European side there has been no "aggressiveness" towards Russia or its president, Vladimir Putin, whom he assured "adds more tension and goes further" in the war.
At the same time, he has asked to distinguish between the Kremlin and the Russian citizenry, reminding that the population "suffers the imperialist and colonial decisions" of Putin. He has mentioned, in this regard, those who suffer "energy rationing, see how 35,000 soldiers die on the front every month or see how the economy crumbles".
The Polish Foreign Minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, has reiterated Warsaw's support for Berlin for its response to the thwarted attack in Leipzig. "We do not want our borders to be violated without consequences. We do not accept attacks on our railway infrastructure, we do not accept murders or other actions of this kind," he emphasized.
Sikorski has warned that this type of "terrorism" attributed to Russia constitutes a challenge "for the entire Alliance," referring to NATO. In his view, "Putin's Russia is one of the most important threats to peace in Europe. This Russia threatens to destroy the European security architecture and intends to impose domination in international relations instead of basing them on cooperation, and we must confront these ambitions".
Therefore, he has argued that, in the face of escalating tensions both in the Middle East and on the European continent, the only way to resolve the crises must be "cooperation and de-escalation". "That is what we seek, and in this context, cooperation between Europe and the United States is key," he concluded.