Karl Nehammer reprimands Russia. Austria’s energy reserves are sufficient.
Is it true that Austria and Germany would block sanctions against Russia at EU level? “This is at most a rumor and is due to the policy of disinformation,” said Chancellor Karl Nehammer on Tuesday morning. The Russian-German Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline could also be included in the sanctions, Nehammer said when asked at a press conference on Tuesday morning. Shortly thereafter, it became known that Germany was stopping the approval process for Nord Stream 2.
The chancellor emphasized that Austria had little to fear if Russia stopped gas supplies to Austria as a counter-reaction and contrary to its announcement. Even then, the energy supply would remain guaranteed. At the same time, Nehammer was not sparing in criticizing Russia, while praising Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky (“Ukraine has acted with extreme caution and has not responded to provocations”). And Nehammer also made it clear that he had offered the Ukrainian Prime Minister, Denys Schmyhal, Austria’s support. However, Nehammer’s basic assessment of the situation in Ukraine was pessimistic: “Unfortunately, the signs are increasingly pointing to confrontation,” he explained after a meeting of the crisis cabinet. But what does this look like?