President Donald Trump stated on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "not looking to attack Nato territory," despite a suspected Russian drone attack on a German airport that escalated tensions across Europe. The US President made these remarks in the Oval Office when questioned about the incident.
European security officials suspect these drone incidents are part of Russia's hybrid warfare strategy against nations supporting Ukraine. US intelligence reportedly believes Russian secret services were behind an August drone attack at Leipzig airport, with DNA evidence potentially linking it to a previous sabotage attempt at the same location two years prior. Police forensic technicians were seen near a Ukrainian aircraft at Leipzig-Halle Airport following the incident.
The discovery of explosive-laden drones, including one near a Ukrainian jet and another at a NATO logistics hub, has raised alarms. Germany has reported multiple suspicious drone sightings over military and industrial sites, and authorities defused a drone carrying explosives near a Ukrainian cargo plane in early August. Another drone with traces of explosive substance was reportedly found near the airport weeks later. Leipzig airport is a critical transport hub for military goods for the German military and NATO allies, and also serves as a base for Ukraine's Antonov Airlines.
Trump's comments come as he dispatches envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff to Moscow and Kyiv with a plan aimed at ending the four-year-long conflict in Ukraine. The envoys have previously visited Moscow, drawing accusations of taking Russia's side in negotiations. Trump indicated that the envoys are carrying a proposal for peace, though he did not specify if it involved Ukraine ceding territory. "We have an idea for peace," Trump stated.
Britain summoned a senior Russian diplomat over the "egregious and reckless" attack at Leipzig airport, with Prime Minister Andy Burnham expressing full solidarity with Germany and calling Russian attempts to undermine support for Ukraine "futile and doomed to fail."
This period marks a critical juncture for NATO, with Russian drones frequently testing the defenses along the alliance's eastern flank, and other European nations also facing threats. Moscow has denied any involvement in the German airport incidents, though Germany has labeled them part of a broader campaign of "Russian hybrid operations," and Brussels described them as bearing "all the hallmarks of state-sponsored terrorism."
Warnings have also emerged regarding Russian spy ships allegedly targeting Britain's undersea infrastructure. A former Russian foreign minister has suggested that UK drone factories could be targeted by "unknown sources."
Kushner and Witkoff's upcoming visit follows a trip to Moscow last month by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who reportedly issued a warning to the Kremlin against escalating the conflict. Trump himself has been critical of sustained support for Ukraine, recently calling for European nations to repay American aid provided under the previous administration and questioning the one-sided nature of the US's commitment to NATO.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has proposed observing a ceasefire during the envoys' visit. "There will be no airstrikes on our part, and Russia must reciprocally ensure a ceasefire - without its own airstrikes - for the duration needed to conduct these talks," Zelensky said. A senior Ukrainian official confirmed the envoys would visit Kyiv on Sunday. The Kremlin has declined to comment.
Trump has attributed the war, which began with Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, to a "personality problem" between Putin and Zelensky. The US President's last known phone call with Putin was in July, and their last in-person meeting was in Alaska a year prior, which did not yield a breakthrough on Ukraine.