"Let's be absolutely clear: Europe is under attack"

“I want to be very clear about what this was. It was an attack involving military-grade material, carried out by Russian operatives on European Union territory. We will not tolerate this,” von der Leyen said, according to a Commission statement.

She expressed the EU’s full solidarity with Germany and said that if the purpose of the attack was to make Europe reconsider its support for Ukraine, it had failed.

“Intimidation will not work. That is why I am meeting the NATO secretary general today. We are united. Europe and NATO will not only maintain the pressure on Russia, we will increase it,” she said after meeting NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels.

Von der Leyen said the EU would continue to pressure Moscow until Russia, as she put it, “stops bombing and killing innocent children, men and women in Ukraine.”

She described the Leipzig incident as a “new escalation on European Union territory directly attributed to Russia,” saying it was part of a broader pattern of increasingly dangerous incidents, including repeated incursions into European airspace, drones disrupting airports and interference with critical infrastructure.

Von der Leyen said the EU already has rapid-response teams capable of responding to such attacks, whether they occur inside or outside the bloc.

The Commission president stressed that sanctions had already weakened the Russian economy and that the EU could impose further measures as soon as responsibility for what she called “dangerous and life-threatening actions” was established.

Speaking about support for Ukraine, von der Leyen confirmed that the EU had received a new payment request worth several billion euros, aimed in part at strengthening Ukraine’s air defenses, including advanced Patriot systems.

Von der Leyen noted that the request comes on top of a €90 billion loan package to support Ukraine. Since June, €8.5 billion from the package has been earmarked for drones and missiles, while the funds will also be used to purchase fighter jets from European defense manufacturers.

She stressed that the EU is carrying out all of these efforts together with NATO, saying European defense investment is crucial to strengthening the Alliance and Europe’s defense industrial base.

“We are entering a new era of European security. European investment in defense strengthens NATO and gives new momentum to our industrial base. We will continue, we will prevail and we will deter anyone who attacks our freedoms and security,” von der Leyen said.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said at a joint news conference on Tuesday that the German government had concluded that Russia was behind the failed drone attack at Leipzig Airport.

Moscow has denied involvement in the incident.