Poland has pressed the European Union to accelerate the removal of Russian diplomatic staff after German authorities linked a bomb plot at Leipzig airport to Moscow. The appeal was made by foreign minister Radek Sikorski during an EU foreign ministers' meeting in Ireland on 2 September.

Leipzig attack triggers diplomatic backlash

German investigators say the device, discovered in a luggage container at Leipzig's main airport, was assembled with military‑grade components and appears to be part of a coordinated state‑sponsored operation. Berlin has formally accused Russia of orchestrating the plot, describing it as "state terrorism". In response, Germany shut a Russian consulate in Bonn and closed the Russian cultural centre known as the Russian House in Berlin.

At the Dublin meeting, Sikorski warned that Europe can no longer rely on "regular peacetime" norms. He said hybrid warfare now includes "assassination squads, arsons and blowing up moving trains", and that the EU must make it harder for Russian diplomats and intelligence officers to operate on the continent.

"We should make it more difficult for Russian diplomats and spies to function in Europe, by closing consulates, by ensuring diplomats cannot leave the country to which they are accredited, and by reducing the numbers of Russian diplomatic staff, many of whom are intelligence agents," Sikorski said.

Calls for broader expulsions and visa restrictions

Poland has already closed all Russian consulates on its territory, but other capitals still host sizeable Russian diplomatic missions. Vienna, for example, houses around 50 Russian diplomats, a figure that has become a point of contention among EU members.Austrian foreign minister Beate Meinl‑Reisinger described the Leipzig incident as "the pinnacle of what a hybrid attack war on Europe means". She echoed Sikorski's call for a coordinated response.

EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas and Irish foreign minister Helen McEntee used the same meeting to push for tighter visa rules. Media reports indicate that the individual suspected of planting the bomb entered Germany on a tourist visa issued by Italy. Kallas urged reluctant member states, notably France, Italy and Spain, to back an EU‑wide entry ban for Russian ex‑combatants and stricter visa checks for Russian tourists.

German foreign minister Johann Wadephul said the incident would also feed into the next round of EU sanctions, scheduled for October, by expanding the blacklist of Russian individuals and entities. He estimated that "a large number of people can now be sanctioned in addition".

Broader EU reaction and parallel issues

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and NATO secretary‑general Mark Rutte expressed shock at the Leipzig attack in a separate Brussels gathering. Von der Leyen called the act an "attack using military‑grade material carried out by Russian operatives on EU soil" and pledged that the Union would not tolerate such actions.

Rutte added that any attempt by Russia to sow division or deter European support for Ukraine would fail. The EU's foreign service, which had quietly forced Russia to recall about 20 diplomats from Brussels over the summer, is now under pressure to accelerate that process.

Poland's demand comes against a backdrop of ongoing debates about how to handle Russian diplomatic presence. The EU expelled dozens of Russian diplomats after the 2018 Skripal poisoning in the United Kingdom and again after the full‑scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. However, the pace and scope of expulsions have varied, with some member states arguing that a wholesale purge could jeopardise diplomatic channels needed for conflict de‑escalation.

Implications for European security and the Russian economy

Beyond the diplomatic sphere, the Leipzig plot has revived discussions in the Baltic states and Sweden about seizing frozen Russian central‑bank assets held in Belgium to fund Ukraine's reconstruction. Lithuania and Sweden have revived proposals to channel those assets into a European‑wide support mechanism.

For ordinary Europeans, the episode raises concerns about the proximity of hostile actions. While the bomb was intercepted before causing casualties, the incident underscores the vulnerability of critical infrastructure to covert sabotage.

Trade unions across the continent have welcomed the call for stronger measures, arguing that a robust response is needed to protect public safety and to signal that hybrid threats will not be tolerated. At the same time, business groups caution that an abrupt reduction in diplomatic staff could complicate commercial ties and the functioning of consular services for European companies operating in Russia.

Parallel diplomatic rows: sanctions on Israel

In a separate development, Luxembourg, France, Portugal, Spain and Sweden joined Ireland in urging the EU to impose sanctions on Israel over its policies in the occupied West Bank. French foreign minister Jean‑Noël Barrot called for a ban on imports from illegal Israeli settlements, while Sweden's foreign minister Maria Malmer Stenergard and Luxembourg's Xavier Bettel advocated blacklisting Israeli minister Itamar Ben‑Gvir for extremist views.

These calls illustrate the EU's broader struggle to balance geopolitical pressures while maintaining a coherent foreign‑policy stance that reflects European values on human rights and international law.

As the EU prepares its next sanctions package, the Leipzig incident is likely to shape the debate on how far member states are willing to go in curbing Russian diplomatic activity. Whether the Union will adopt a unified, tougher line on Russian diplomats remains to be seen, but the pressure from Warsaw, Berlin and the Baltic capitals suggests that a more aggressive approach could soon become the norm.