The level of confrontation between Russia and Germany is rising further. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has described the accusations made by Berlin against Moscow regarding the attempted drone attack on Leipzig/Halle Airport as, "in essence, the beginning of a real war".
The statements come as diplomatic efforts by the United States continue on the front to find a solution to the conflict in Ukraine: Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Kyiv, where they have begun talks with Ukrainian leadership after being in Moscow the previous day to meet with Vladimir Putin.
Lavrov: "They said the drone was Russian without investigating"
The new diplomatic crisis was triggered by the case of the explosive-laden drone found at Leipzig/Halle Airport on August 4.
The German government has officially concluded that Russia was behind the attempted attack. According to Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, the German assessment is based overall on police investigations, operational methods, and intelligence information.
Moscow, however, categorically rejects any responsibility.
Lavrov, speaking in an interview circulated by Russian agencies, argued that Berlin attributed the incident to Russia too quickly:
"They found a drone. They said it was a Russian drone, but no one bothered to investigate. This is, in essence, the beginning of a real war".
The Russian minister thus transformed the Leipzig case into a much broader political accusation against Germany.
According to Reuters, Lavrov also attacked Chancellor Friedrich Merz, accusing him of pursuing a policy of increasing militarization and adopting a stance toward Russia that Moscow interprets as openly hostile.
Berlin: "Russia is Responsible"
Germany's position is, however, clear.
On September 1, the federal government officially announced that it had reached the conclusion that Russia was responsible for the attempted attack on Leipzig/Halle Airport.
"Taken together, police investigations, the pattern of action, and intelligence information demonstrate Russian responsibility", Dobrindt stated.
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul placed the incident within what Berlin considers a broader Russian campaign of destabilization, disinformation, sabotage, and pressure against European countries.
Germany has also summoned the Russian ambassador and announced a series of diplomatic countermeasures.
Moscow has reacted by calling the accusations "unfounded", arguing that the evidence would have been fabricated to assign Russia responsibility for the attack.
Witkoff and Kushner Arrive in Kyiv
Alongside the escalation between Moscow and Berlin, the United States continues its diplomatic effort to reach a solution to the war.
American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Kyiv on Sunday, September 6, and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
It is their first official visit to Ukraine as part of this new diplomatic initiative.
Just hours earlier, Witkoff and Kushner were in Moscow, where on Saturday they had met with Vladimir Putin for over three hours.
Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov described the meeting with the Americans as "substantive, constructive, and extremely frank".
According to Moscow, the meeting addressed both the possible diplomatic path to end the war and some potential economic projects between Russia and the United States.
Deep Divisions Remain
Despite the resumption of talks, the distances between Russia and Ukraine remain considerable.
Moscow continues to demand recognition of the new territorial reality created by the war and guarantees about Ukraine's future neutrality, while Kyiv refuses any solution that imposes the surrender of territories still under its control.
The arrival of Witkoff and Kushner in Kyiv therefore represents a new attempt to understand whether there is negotiating space between their respective positions.
But precisely while Washington seeks to reopen the diplomatic channel, Lavrov's words about Germany show how tensions continue to increase in parallel between Russia and NATO European countries.
The Leipzig drone case thus risks assuming a political significance far beyond the single incident, fitting into the confrontation over what is known as hybrid warfare that in recent months has seen Berlin accuse Moscow of sabotage, cyberattacks, and clandestine operations on European territory.
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