Austria is confident that Russia cannot be perceived as a reliable partner.
Austria has every opportunity to compensate for supplies gas if it stops coming from Russia.
Austrian Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer stated this in an interview with a Swiss publication NZZ, transmits Ukrinform.
“Like Germany and Eastern Europe, we were connected to pipeline infrastructure that transported gas from east to west through our location as a landlocked country. But when Russia began to put pressure on us, cutting deliveries in 2022, we have started to defend ourselves. Now we have an annual consumption amount that we keep as a strategic reserve. We will be able to compensate for this immediately,” he said.
In addition, according to the Austrian Chancellor, Ukraine’s non-extension of the gas transit contract with Gazprom after 2025 will provide new opportunities for the Austrian oil and gas group OMV.
“Yes, the group has the opportunity to reorient itself and take action against Gazprom in the event of a violation of the contract,” said the head of the Austrian government.
When asked that in 2018 the Austrian company OMV entered into a contract with Gazprom to extend Russian gas supplies until 2040, the Austrian Prime Minister said that at that time Russia was perceived as a reliable partner. It was a mistake.
“For Angela Merkel Germany also long followed the principle of “change through trade” to bring Russia closer to Europe. It was a mistake. But it was tempting because the infrastructure between East and West worked. The Soviet Union always supplied gas to Europe, even during the Cuban missile crisis. This changed only in 2022. We underestimated Vladimir Putin.
Recall that it was previously reported that Russian propagandists were hysterical because of a gas “trap” from China.
In addition, we previously informed that the EU was stunned by a statement about Ukraine and the transit of Russian gas.
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