A series of drone incidents is forcing European capitals to reconsider how closely they should coordinate on security, diplomacy, and Russia-related risks.
Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka said that Europe must become directly involved in shaping the negotiating process to end the war in Ukraine. He called it wrong that European representatives are still not taking part in peace initiatives.
As reported by the online media outlet Ukrinform.
When serious attempts are made to organize peace talks – initiated, on the one hand, by India and, on the other, by Türkiye – the question increasingly arises as to why Europe is still not sitting at the table. We must also be able to propose a person or a team to take part in these negotiations.
– Petr Macinka
Following an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in Ireland, the Czech official also urged a serious assessment of the risk of further escalation. In his view, it could affect not only Ukraine but also individual European Union countries. Among other things, Macinka mentioned the drone incident in Leipzig.
European countries are preparing their own response to the incidents
According to the Czech minister, EU countries are not currently developing a joint response to the incident in Leipzig. Each country will determine its next steps independently, taking into account its own national security interests.
Joint pan-European action is not currently possible because each country is in a somewhat different situation. At the same time, no one is taking these events lightly. Incidents in Romania and Bulgaria were also mentioned, so they must be examined with heightened attention.
– Petr Macinka
Macinka recalled that restrictions on the movement of Russian diplomats have been in place in Europe since January 26. At the same time, countries are applying different approaches; Estonia, in particular, has introduced a stricter control regime.
The Czech Republic, together with its intelligence services, is preparing proposals to improve the system for monitoring the movements of Russian diplomats. The minister believes that the current mechanism has shortcomings that need to be addressed.
The meeting of EU foreign ministers lasted approximately an hour longer than planned. The German government and relevant authorities believe that Russian intelligence services may be behind the attempted sabotage involving drones at Leipzig Airport.
Following the incident, the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian ambassador to seek an explanation. Prague is also insisting on more active European involvement in shaping the future negotiating process concerning the war in Ukraine.