Merz says cabinet retreat will soon deliver findings on Leipzig airport drone incident

"Relevant ist allein die offizielle Zuordnung, die die Bundesregierung nach eigenem Ermessen und unter Abwägung aller Ermittlungsergebnisse vornimmt," Merz said, according to a transcript of his remarks. The phrase, in German, was Merz's clearest signal that Berlin intends to base its next steps on the formal assessment rather than on media reports about possible perpetrators.

The comments come as Welt am Sonntag, Politico and Bild, citing unnamed officials familiar with the matter, reported that the government is preparing a wide-ranging package of measures against Moscow. None of the three outlets identified their sources on the record, and Merz did not confirm or deny the reports at the retreat. The reporting did not specify which measures were under consideration or their legal basis.

What we know about the Leipzig airport incident

Leipzig airport, one of Germany's busiest cargo hubs, was forced to suspend flight operations temporarily after drones were observed near its airspace, German aviation authorities said earlier. Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has been coordinating the federal response alongside state authorities in Saxony and the airport operator, according to officials. The federal police took over parts of the investigation because of the cross-border dimension of the incident, German security sources said.

German officials have privately pointed to Russia as a possible actor behind the incident, but Merz's public caution underscored a wider reluctance in Berlin to name a state actor before the investigative file is closed. The chancellor noted that the government was also reviewing what additional protective measures could be applied to civilian infrastructure, including airports and energy facilities, regardless of the attribution outcome.

The cabinet retreat, held at the Chancellery, was originally convened to discuss domestic competitiveness and energy policy but was broadened to include the security implications of the Leipzig incident. Participants included Dobrindt and other senior ministers, according to a government spokesperson. No joint communiqué was issued at the end of the closed session.

Why Berlin is holding back on attribution

Berlin's posture reflects a broader European debate about how to respond to suspected Russian hybrid operations, which have included GPS jamming, airspace incursions and damage to undersea cables in the Baltic region in recent years. The European Commission has proposed a joint drone-detection capability, but member states have moved at different speeds on procurement and deployment, officials in Brussels and national capitals have said.

A senior government official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, said the package under discussion could include diplomatic, economic and aviation-security measures. The official declined to describe the scope or timing of any announcement. Asked whether the measures would require parliamentary approval, the official said the government would "follow the procedures required for each instrument."

European context and next steps

The incident has also prompted questions about Germany's air-traffic-management protocols and the speed with which civilian controllers can hand airspace to military authorities. The transport ministry has said it is reviewing procedures in coordination with the defense ministry. Opposition lawmakers have called for a public briefing once the federal investigation concludes, a step the government has not ruled out.

Merz said the cabinet would return to the issue at a regular meeting later this week and that ministers with portfolio responsibility would brief their counterparts in the European Union before any public steps are taken. He declined to give a precise date for the presentation of the findings, citing the ongoing nature of the investigation. "We will say what we know, when we know it," Merz told reporters, switching briefly to English for emphasis.