German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has called for a full explanation after Monday’s crash of a DHL cargo plane flying from Germany to Lithuania.
Authorities in both countries are currently conducting investigations “in all directions,” Baerbock said on the sidelines of a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in the Italian town of Fiuggi, 60 kilometers east of Rome.
In addition to a technical fault, Baerbock did not rule out the possibility of a deliberately caused crash.
The minister emphasized that authorities in both countries are currently exploring all possibilities in their investigation.
“This underlines the times we live in,” Baerbock said, referring to several recent “hybrid attacks” on individuals or infrastructure in Europe.
Protecting critical infrastructure is therefore particularly important now, she emphasizes.
Baerbock made no direct accusations against individuals or states after the crash.
However, regarding Russian leader Vladimir Putin, she added: “The Russian president will not do us the favor of taking into account the fact that Christmas is just around the corner, or even the German parliamentary elections.”
Baerbock takes part in a meeting of the Group of Seven foreign ministers in Italy.
The cargo plane that took off from Leipzig was an aircraft of the Spanish airline Swift Air, traveling on behalf of DHL.
The plane crashed in the early morning when it landed at the airport of the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, near a residential building. One Spanish crew member was killed.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock speaks to media representatives during the G7 Foreign Ministers meeting. Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa
