The president’s reluctance to condemn the Kremlin is in contrast to the Prime Minister, who expressed solidarity with Germany
Vladimir Putin is “not looking to attack Nato territory”, Donald Trump has said despite an attempted drone strike on a German airport that allies, including the UK, blamed on Russia.
The reluctance by the US president to condemn the Kremlin will again raise questions over Washington’s commitment to the long-standing military alliance and its key principle of collective security.
The British Government this week summoned a senior Russian diplomat to protest at last month’s “egregious and reckless attack” at Leipzig airport.
The Prime Minister had earlier expressed the UK’s “full solidarity” with Germany.
Andy Burnham, whose first international trip in office was to Kyiv in a show of support, said: “Russian attempts to undermine our united resolve and our willingness to support Ukraine are futile and doomed to fail.”
A drone laden with explosives found near a Ukrainian plane was subsequently defused.
The airport is a major international freight hub used for providing support to the Kyiv government, which has been battling invading Russian forces for more than four years.
But pressed in the Oval Office over the incident, Mr Trump said of his Russian counterpart: “I speak to him. I know him very well. Putin’s not looking to attack Nato territory.”
Moscow has also denied involvement.
But Germany said it was part of a pattern of “Russian hybrid operations”, while Brussels said it had “all the hallmarks of state-sponsored terrorism”.
The Kremlin has been accused by European countries of running a campaign of sabotage and disruption with the aim of undermining support for Ukraine and causing wider instability and unrest.
There have been ongoing warnings over the threat posed by Russian spy ships to the UK’s vital undersea cables and only recently Russia’s former foreign minister suggested British drone factories could be targeted by “unknown sources”.
At the same time, Mr Trump has overseen a thaw in relations with Mr Putin while voicing criticism of Nato, amid tensions over Iran, which has led to a basing review of US forces in Europe.
