German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul thanked France and Poland on Thursday for their solidarity with Berlin after Germany accused Russia of hybrid attacks and an attempted drone strike at Leipzig Airport.
Speaking alongside his French and Polish counterparts in Weimar, Wadephul said the Leipzig incident demonstrated that the security threat posed by Moscow extended well beyond countries immediately bordering Russia and Ukraine.
“The incident at Leipzig Airport has once again shown us in Germany that Russia’s aggression does not stop at borders — not at the Bug River, not at the Oder, and not even at the Rhine,” he said.
Wadephul said Germany particularly valued the expressions of support it had received from European Union and NATO partners following the incident.
“We greatly appreciate the solidarity and support our partners have shown us since yesterday,” he said, adding that the allies remained united in their determination to deter Russia and continue supporting Ukraine.
Germany has said it has “no illusions” about Moscow’s current policies, with Wadephul accusing Russia of repeated violations of European countries’ sovereignty.
At the same time, the foreign minister left open the possibility of eventually restoring dialogue with Moscow if Russia fundamentally changed its approach.
“The prerequisite for this is that Russia finally ends its war of aggression against Ukraine and, above all, refrains from all attacks of any kind against us,” Wadephul said.
He acknowledged that a return to normal relations between Germany and Russia currently appeared “a long way off”, but said Berlin had not abandoned the principle of future engagement.
“Yet, the fundamental willingness to do so remains,” he added.
The comments underscored Berlin’s position that any improvement in relations with Moscow would depend on an end to the war in Ukraine and what Germany describes as Russian hybrid operations against European states.