EU pursuing more Russia sanctions after failed airport attack: Kallas

European Union foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas has remarked the bloc is ramping up pressure on Russia after Berlin accused Moscow of being behind a failed drone attack on a German airport.

Key points

• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen remarked on Wednesday that authorities were looking into how "to cut deeper into Russia's war chest".
• She remarked the attempted attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport marked "a new escalation on European Union soil".
• German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has remarked Russia would have to live with the consequences of its actions, warning that a response had been carefully prepared.
• Russia's foreign ministry, meanwhile, remarked it had summoned Germany's envoy to the country, Bernd Finke, telling him that Moscow "categorically" rejected being behind the failed drone attack.
• Russia has denied involvement in the incident, with President Vladimir Putin alleging that the evidence had been "planted".

Kallas struck a defiant tone on Wednesday as she cautioned that "attempts to intimidate Europe" would fail. She further denounced last month's attempted attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport as "state- terrorism".

"We ⁠are working on new proposals to tighten sanctions enforcement and we are moving ahead with more sanctions, " Kallas remarked.

Russia has denied involvement in the incident, with President Vladimir Putin alleging that the evidence had been "planted". Three drones carrying explosives were discovered in and around the airport on August 4, temporarily disrupting air traffic.

In a post on X on Wednesday, Kallas remarked the bloc was preparing to sanction an further 1, 600 individuals and entities linked to Russia's military sector and that the EU was "ready to add more".

While additionally floating the prospect of tightening visa restrictions for Russian tourists, kallas additionally highlighted broad backing among the bloc's foreign ministers for imposing a ban on former Russian military personnel from visiting the EU.

She continued that Russia's representative to the bloc had been summoned by the EU and individual member states.

In practice, the EU has attempted to apply as much pressure on Russia as feasible without resorting to military means. To date, more than 3, 000 Russian authorities, oligarchs and businesses have already been sanctioned since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

It was not clear what, if any, effect further measures by the EU will have on Russia in terms of the Ukraine conflict. It has largely become a war of attrition.

While Moscow has taken advantage of Ukraine's lack of missile interceptors by carrying out regular strikes that have killed civilians, kyiv has repeatedly targeted energy infrastructure deep in Russian territory.

For now, EU pursuing more Russia sanctions after failed airport attack: Kallas remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.