Matthew Whitaker, the US representative to NATO, claimed that critical infrastructure could be targeted, following Germany's accusations against Russia after the drone incident at the country's airfield.
Publish dateSunday 6 September 2026 - 14:11
Story Code : 364771
Afghan Voice Agency (AVA): According to Anadolu Agency, Matthew Whitaker, the US representative to NATO, said that NATO members should not tolerate deliberate actions in the form of "hybrid warfare" against member countries and that the US will support allies who face such incidents.
Whitaker, speaking on the sidelines of a business conference in Italy, said that last month's drone incident at the Leipzig/Halle airport in Germany, for which Berlin blamed Russia, was more worrying than recent incidents involving Russian drones that inadvertently entered NATO airspace during the invasion of Ukraine.
“Then we have what I call more worrying combined actions, like what we saw in Leipzig and what we saw in Poland,” he said.
Whitaker urged NATO members to remain vigilant and respond decisively if hostile actions are identified.
“If we can identify who did this — as Germany has done — we should make it clear that this is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” he said.
Whitaker also warned that critical infrastructure, including energy facilities, could be targeted and that national authorities should monitor those facilities.
He said responding to such actions was primarily the responsibility of national governments, but Washington would stand with allies who were confronted with them.
Germany has accused Russian intelligence services of planning the Aug. 5 drone incident at Leipzig airport and has announced a series of measures, including closing the Russian consulate in Bonn and ending an agreement on Russian cultural and information centers, including the Russia House in Berlin.
Russia has rejected the accusations as “baseless, ridiculous and illogical.” The Russian embassy in Germany said Berlin had provided no evidence and called Germany’s actions an unprecedented escalation of bilateral relations.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also warned that Germany would receive a proportionate response.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has also rejected the German accusations, saying Berlin’s claims about the attempted drone attack were largely influenced by domestic political circumstances in Germany.
Whitaker, speaking on the sidelines of a business conference in Italy, said that last month's drone incident at the Leipzig/Halle airport in Germany, for which Berlin blamed Russia, was more worrying than recent incidents involving Russian drones that inadvertently entered NATO airspace during the invasion of Ukraine.
“Then we have what I call more worrying combined actions, like what we saw in Leipzig and what we saw in Poland,” he said.
Whitaker urged NATO members to remain vigilant and respond decisively if hostile actions are identified.
“If we can identify who did this — as Germany has done — we should make it clear that this is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” he said.
Whitaker also warned that critical infrastructure, including energy facilities, could be targeted and that national authorities should monitor those facilities.
He said responding to such actions was primarily the responsibility of national governments, but Washington would stand with allies who were confronted with them.
Germany has accused Russian intelligence services of planning the Aug. 5 drone incident at Leipzig airport and has announced a series of measures, including closing the Russian consulate in Bonn and ending an agreement on Russian cultural and information centers, including the Russia House in Berlin.
Russia has rejected the accusations as “baseless, ridiculous and illogical.” The Russian embassy in Germany said Berlin had provided no evidence and called Germany’s actions an unprecedented escalation of bilateral relations.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also warned that Germany would receive a proportionate response.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has also rejected the German accusations, saying Berlin’s claims about the attempted drone attack were largely influenced by domestic political circumstances in Germany.
avapress.net/vdchqknxz23n-qd.01t2.html
Top hits
