A suspected GPS sabotage forced European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's plane to divert from its course and in Russia, the incident quickly made her the focus of mockery and smear campaigns. The politician had flown to Bulgaria on August 31. The GPS disruption of the aircraft resulted in an unscheduled landing in the city of Plovdiv. Authorities in Bulgaria suspect that Moscow was behind the attack and link it to Russia's war against Ukraine.
Ursula von der Leyen faced criticism from Viktor Orban, who labeled her a "featherweight" and claimed she was easily outmatched by American counterparts.
If our partnership is to move forward, we need a genuine rebalancing: fewer market distortions, less overcapacity exported from China, and fair, reciprocal access for European businesses in China.
"Right-wing Romanian MEP Gheorghe Piperea launched the motion of censure, criticizing von der Leyen for a lack of transparency regarding text messages exchanged with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla during the COVID-19 pandemic."
