Terror and attack – harsh EU words on drone bomb

 

Wiktor Nummelin/TT 

Published 09.41Updated 13.09

                

         EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. Photo: Wiktor Nummelin/TT

Russian ambassadors are being summoned and new sanctions are being prepared as the EU and NATO react sharply to Russia's drone bombing in Germany.

– An attack, says Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Yesterday, Germany pointed to Russia as responsible for the incident with an explosive-laden drone at Leipzig/Halle airport in August.

– This was an attack using military material, carried out by Russian agents, on EU soil. We will not tolerate it, says Commission President von der Leyen, side by side with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels.

Similar words are heard from Ireland, where EU Foreign Affairs Chief Kaja Kallas is meeting with the foreign ministers of the member states today.

– It bears all the signs of state-sponsored terrorism. The only question is what we are going to do now. We will discuss that today, she says on her way into the meeting.

Ambassador summoned

Even more sanctions against Russian officials, officials and companies are already underway. Several countries, including Finland, Denmark, France and Sweden, are also summoning Russia's ambassadors to their foreign ministries to protest.

– It will happen during the day, but I cannot give an exact time, says Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard (M) on site in Wicklow.

– We see an attempt by Russia to divide us in Europe and discourage us from our support for Ukraine. It will fail, promises British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, who is participating in the meeting as a special guest together with colleagues from Ukraine and Canada, among others.

Frozen assets?

In the EU, Sweden is pushing hard to once again discuss how Russia's frozen state assets in Europe can be used for Ukraine.

Belgium – where most of the assets are held – said no last year, for fear of being solely liable for damages in a possible process at a later stage.

– There are of course concerns from Belgium, which I have great respect for. But if you go against this, you have to have a different proposal for how to increase support for Ukraine, says Malmer Stenergard.

Shared responsibility

Xavier Bettel, her colleague from Luxembourg, is calling for a system in which all EU countries jointly take responsibility for the use of the frozen assets.

– I like it at meetings when everyone says "yes, we need that". But when we have to show solidarity afterwards, most people behave like ostriches. They are very deep in the sand. If we want a functioning mechanism, there must be solidarity and shared responsibility, says Bettel in Wicklow.

Facts

Frysta ryska statstillgångar i EU

Frozen Russian state assets in the EU

Last autumn, the European Commission estimated that there were a total of 210 billion euros in frozen Russian state assets in the EU, the majority of which – 185 billion – with the securities institution Euroclear in Belgium.

However, a proposal from the Commission to lend at least 90 billion euros of the money to Ukraine never became reality, after Belgium vetoed it. The country was concerned about becoming solely responsible in a possible future compensation process and received support from, among others, Italy.

Instead, the EU countries agreed to raise a joint loan of 90 billion euros to support Ukraine in 2026 and 2027.