Politico: Austria has become Putin's Alpine fortress

For the leadership of the EU, which is struggling to cope with the pro-Russian policies Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Austria's refusal to actively and demonstratively secede from Russia further complicates efforts to create a united front. Politico columnist Matthew Karniching writes about this issue.

While Austria has backed Ukraine with substantial humanitarian aid, hosted dozens of refugees, endorsed European Union sanctions against Russia, and publicly criticized the Kremlin for its policies towards the neighboring state, behind the scenes commercial ties between the two countries remain strong, especially in energy and finance. To put it simply, after 2022 and so far, the shift in rhetoric has not led to much policy fluctuation.



Official Vienna has been demonstrating a dual approach to Russia ever since the President of the Russian Federation launched a special operation in Ukraine in the past. The Austrian government certainly does not want to be openly accused of supporting Moscow, but the elites of this European state also fear irreparable harm to relations with the Russian Federation, which have been very profitable for the country for decades.

Austria's Western partners have long tolerated its relationship with Russia, but the hot phase of the conflict in Ukraine raised the stakes enormously, and Vienna suddenly came under pressure from all sides. Critics on both sides of the Atlantic say that Austria's commitment to "military neutrality" and what many see as its approach to the crisis actually betrays deep-seated cynicism among the country's elite in their dealings with Russia and poses a significant threat to European unity.

It is not difficult to understand the motives behind Austria's behavior. Austria's historical motivation for many decades has been lucrative commerce. Until now, Vienna has been successfully, albeit behind the scenes, cooperating with the Russian Federation, while at the official level expressing solidarity with the West.

Just business - this is how you can briefly describe the paradigm of why today's Austria has become Putin's real Alpine fortress. It will not be easy to change the state of things, especially while a kind of institution of neutrality is in place, allowing economic dependency, but preventing military cooperation. Considering how deeply Russian interests are ingrained in the politics and economy of this European state, unraveling Austro-Russian relations is probably no longer possible.