Donald Trump has said he does not believe Vladimir Putin intends to attack Nato territory, dismissing concerns raised by a suspected Russian drone strike on Leipzig-Halle airport in Germany. Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said he knew Putin well and did not see him as a threat to Nato, a stance likely to reignite doubts about America's commitment to the alliance at a time when European officials view such incidents as part of a deliberate Russian hybrid warfare campaign against Ukraine's supporters.

The airport, which handles military cargo for Nato allies and hosts Ukraine's Antonov Airlines, saw explosive-laden drones found near a Ukrainian jet and a Nato logistics hub in August; US intelligence reportedly linked DNA on one device to a 2024 sabotage incident at the same site. Britain summoned a senior Russian diplomat and Prime Minister Andy Burnham voiced "full solidarity" with Germany, while the EU said the attack bore "all the hallmarks of state-sponsored terrorism". Trump's remarks come as he dispatches envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff to Moscow and Kyiv in a fresh bid to end the four-year war, following CIA director John Ratcliffe's earlier warning to the Kremlin against escalation.