Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) will travel to Paris on Thursday to discuss the geopolitical situation with the French president.
Five years ago, Emmanuel Macron described NATO as brain dead. Last year he said that Europe should not become a vassal of the US. Only recently did he think out loud about sending ground troops to Ukraine. The French president no longer wants to draw red lines for himself, Europe and NATO. This was primarily a signal to the man in the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin. Emmanuel Macron is preparing to become Europe’s leading politician. In any case, he is currently the man of the hour.
He will receive Chancellor Karl Nehammer on Thursday for a working visit to Paris. “The current challenging geopolitical situation makes it necessary to be closely coordinated within the EU – especially for a neutral country like Austria,” the Chancellor told the “Krone”. “I will also talk to the president about what it takes to make Europe competitive.” In addition to the war in Ukraine, another topic will be the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
France and Austria do not always agree with this
Austria and France did not always agree on how to handle the war in Ukraine. When asked about the ground forces’ statement, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) said that it goes “in the opposite direction” of what is actually needed at the moment, namely a “diplomatic perspective”.
“There is no consensus on that at all,” he emphasized. “And it’s amazing when you take an issue where there is no consensus and create a debate that we don’t really need,” the foreign minister said.
When asked about Macron’s statements, Chancellor Nehammer said it was about leaving the “European echo chamber” and winning over other states to European or Western peace initiatives. He explicitly mentioned the BRICS countries, namely Brazil, India and China, which have great influence over Russia.
Important economic partner
France was Austria’s eighth most important trading partner in 2023 with a trade volume of 12.6 billion euros. There are more than 460 Austrian branches in France.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
