A Year of the War – Vienna – Moscow: How the Bridges Broke

In the past, Austria has always tried to maintain good relations with Russia. In 2014, immediately after the illegal annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, Putin was hosted in Austria, which caused some criticism.

“We know that Putin wants to split the European Union,” lamented Sweden’s then foreign minister, Carl Bildt. In 2018, when the majority of EU countries expelled Russian diplomats in response to the poisoning attack on double agent Sergei Skripal, Austria did not agree.

Putin Ehrengast’s attack on the Kneissl-Hochzeit
In 2018 alone, there were four meetings between then Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) and Putin. The Kremlin boss was pleased in the fall of 2018: “Intensive contacts at the highest political level undoubtedly create the necessary atmosphere for a mutual development of bilateral relations.”

During Putin’s visit to Vienna in June 2018, Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen stated that he saw “no fundamental crisis of confidence” between the EU and Russia, causing a stir. Most sensational, however, was the wedding of then-Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl (FPÖ) in the summer of 2018, at which Putin was the guest of honor. The image of Putin dancing with the bride went around the world.

north stream 2
Relations were good not only politically, but also economically for several decades. The main import was and is gas, which has been flowing from Russia to Austria for more than 50 years. The energy companies Gazprom and OMV are working together on the planned Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which will bring gas from Russia to Europe via the Baltic Sea. The project was stopped with the war.

Austria is one of the countries opposing a gas embargo in response to the attack on Ukraine. Austria has now been able to reduce its dependence on Russian natural gas. In November, Russian gas accounted for about 41 percent of all gas imports to Austria. In February 2022, 79 percent of imported gas came from Russia.

Austrian companies continue to operate in Russia
Austrian companies continue to operate in Russia. Few heeded Ukraine’s call to withdraw from Russia. According to research from the Kyiv School of Economics, almost a year after the start of the Russian invasion, two-thirds of Austrian companies are still active in Russia and want to stay. Domestic companies are therefore much more loyal to Russia than companies from other countries. In particular, the continued presence of Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) in Russia has drawn criticism. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called it unacceptable for the RBI to grant loan deferrals to Russian soldiers.

Confidence collapsed by spy
Trust between Vienna and Moscow began to crumble in late 2018: In November 2018, a former army officer was exposed as a longtime spy for Russia. Moscow was not happy with the hastily arranged press conference of ex-chancellor Kurz and ex-minister of defense Mario Kunasek (FPÖ) and the cancellation of a trip to Russia by foreign minister Kneissl. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Austria of “megaphone diplomacy”.

Austrian protest against aggressive war
Especially since the Russian attack on Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Austria has not been sparing with criticism of Moscow. In protest against Russian conduct in the offensive war, Russian ambassador Dmitri Lyubinsky and Russian permanent representatives accredited to the international organizations in Vienna were summoned nine times to the Vienna Foreign Ministry – most recently on Wednesday this week.

The expulsion of four Russian diplomats on suspicion of espionage was announced on Thursday. Four Russian diplomats stationed in Vienna were expelled last year. Moscow, in turn, responded by expelling four Austrians.

Unlike many other EU countries, neutral Austria does not participate in arms deliveries to Ukraine. Austria is providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine by sending helmets, generators and emergency vehicles to the war-torn country. Austria is helping in the fight against Russian terror, Selenskyj praised Wednesday after Van der Bellen’s visit to Ukraine.

Ukraine criticized Schallenberg
Ukraine does not like statements such as that of Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP), who had argued for maintaining a sense of relationship with Moscow. “We cannot cross the border by, for example, introducing a visa ban for 144 million Russians. Because Russia will always be part of European history and culture,” Schallenberg said recently in Paris. Such statements “reinforce the Kremlin’s sense of impunity and are seen only as an invitation to continue the genocide in Ukraine,” the Ukrainian foreign ministry criticized in response.

Austria is also currently under criticism for making several Russians subject to EU sanctions travel to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna. However, due to an agreement with the OSCE, Schallenberg does not see himself in a legal position to refuse entry to the Russian delegation.

He himself had criticized Russia’s invitation to attend an OSCE meeting in Poland. “If you break bridges through negligence, you will regret it at some point,” Schallenberg said on Thursday. The OSCE conference in Vienna is also explosive because it takes place exactly on the anniversary of the Russian attack on Ukraine: February 23 and 24.

Austria as mediator
Austria also tried to mediate. Immediately after visiting Zelensyk in Kiev in April 2022, Nehammer traveled to Moscow to see Putin.

At home and abroad, such as from the Baltic States and Poland, there was little understanding for Nehammer’s initiative. An adviser to Selenskyj doubted the visit was necessary. “Because from a Russian perspective it shows that Putin still enjoys international respect,” said Ukrainian economic adviser Alexander Rodnyansky.

Nehammer himself explained: it was “not a friendly visit”. His message was that the war must end, and Putin promised “that the gas supply is secure”. A little later, however, Gazprom throttled the gas supply.