Vienne supports Ukraine, but his desire to keep its status apart and its high dependence on Russian gas prevent it from delivering weapons to kyiv.
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The Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alexander Schallenberg, receives, Wednesday, May 4, in the magnificent office which gives the Church of the Minimes, in the center of Vienna; The same as his famous predecessor occupied, Karin Kneissl. Minister between 2017 and 2019, this career diplomat had shocked Europe by inviting Vladimir Putin to come and waltz to his wedding in the mountains in the summer of 2018. The one who now has the supervisory board of the Russian oil group Rosneft had become The symbol of Austrian diplomatic alignment on Moscow, at the top during the two years when the Liberty Party of Austria (FPö, extreme right) ruled with the conservatives of the People’s Party (ÖVP).
“I will never be tempted to dance the waltz with a Russian, whether Putin or someone else. The change is very clear,” promises, four years later, Mr. Schallenberg. With his pro-Western opinions assumed, he was appointed to this position in early 2020 by the new green-conservative government to make people forget the annoying alliances of the past. “Faced with the Russian aggression, we are clearly on the side of Ukraine,” insists the minister, in the face of critical votes, especially in kyiv, who deplore the relative prudence of Austria in the conflict.
Firmly attached to its neutrality, the country of 8.9 million inhabitants is one of the last of the European Union (EU) to refuse to deliver weapons to the Ukrainians, alongside Hungary of the Prorussian Viktor Orban.
“Our constitution prevents us from doing so, but we let other countries go through our territory for their military transport”, defends the minister, also insisting on the “100 million euros of humanitarian aid” unlocked by his government since the start of the conflict. If war has pushed countries like Sweden or Finland to debate their neutrality and to consider adhering to NATO, this is absolutely not the case with Austria, where neutrality is legal in nature Little different. Imposed, in 1955, by the USSR in exchange for the return of independence, it was inscribed in international treaties.
“Austria was neutral, Austria is neutral, Austria will remain neutral,” promised Chancellor Karl Nehammer, in early March, with the support of almost all the country’s political leaders. “We have not observed any change in public opinion in Austria: renouncing neutrality would be extremely unpopular”, observes Gerhard Mangott, specialist in international relations and Russia at the University of Innsbruck.
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