Austria is rethinking its cosy ties with Russia
Economic, cultural and diplomatic links date back to the cold war
“DESPITE BEING a neutral country, Austria positioned itself very clearly,” says Karl Nehammer, Austria’s chancellor. Sitting in his offices at Vienna’s baroque Ballhausplatz, he says that Austria’s immediate backing of EU sanctions against Russia surprised many. Austria gave €60m ($64m) to NGOs to help Ukraine and donated helmets, protective vests and fuel. The small country has taken in 66,000 Ukrainian refugees. Mr Nehammer sees his visit to Vladimir Putin on April 11th to appeal for a ceasefire as part of that support.
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Blowing bridges”
Europe May 7th 2022
- Europe’s hard-hit east is pushing the toughest response in Ukraine
- Austria is rethinking its cosy ties with Russia
- Moldova is trying to stay out of Russia’s war with Ukraine
- Spyware in Spain targeted the prime minister and his enemies
- Odessa strives for normality despite Russia’s war
- France’s re-elected President Emmanuel Macron wants to govern differently
From the May 7th 2022 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Europe
François Hollande hopes to make the French left electable again
The former president moves away from the radicals
Germans are growing cold on the debt brake
Expect changes after the election
The Pope and Italy’s prime minister tussle over Donald Trump
Giorgia Meloni was the only European leader at the inauguration
Europe faces a new age of gunboat digital diplomacy
Can the EU regulate Donald Trump’s big tech bros?
Ukrainian scientists are studying downed Russian missiles
And learning a lot about sanctions-busting
How Poland emerged as a leading defence power
Will others follow?