Austria currently supplies 80 percent of its gas from Russia and previously previously maintained closer ties with Moscow than the majority of the bloc. However, after Russia declared war on its neighbor on February 24, Chancellor Carl Nehamer expressed his solidarity with Ukraine and denounced the obvious Russian war crimes. His government has also joined other EU countries in deporting Moscow oligarchs, although those ousted are only a small part of the large Russian diplomatic presence there. Follow our live updates on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine here “It’s not a friendly visit,” Nehammer was quoted as saying by his government office shortly after meeting at Putin’s official Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow. A spokesman for the chancellor said the meeting lasted 75 minutes, which is relatively short by the Russian president’s standards. The Austrian leader reiterated previous comments that he hoped to end the conflict or improve humanitarian corridors for Ukrainians trapped in their besieged cities. But a statement from his office made little response to President Putin. “The conversation with President Putin was very direct, open and tough,” Nehammer said in a statement. Speaking at a news conference this afternoon, Mr Nehammer said it was important to tell Putin that his views were not shared by other countries and that the longer the war lasted, the tougher Western sanctions would be on Russia. “[Telling him] once will not be enough. Ten times will not be enough. “It may have to be done 100 times, but I think we need to do everything we can to ensure that there is peace again and that people in Ukraine can live in security,” Nehammer said. Mr Nehammer’s meeting with his Russian counterpart was greeted by German Chancellor Olaf Soltz, while Austria’s response included surprise, skepticism and condemnation. In a tweet on Monday, Reinhard Heinisch, a professor of comparative Austrian politics at the University of Salzburg, said: “Hopefully, Austrian Chancellor #Nehammer’s visit to Putin will have more to say than meets the eye. “Austria has very often served as Moscow’s useful idiot in the past.” Mr Nehammer’s coalition partner, the Greens, also criticized the visit. Her foreign affairs spokeswoman Ewa Ernst-Dziedzic wrote on Twitter: “I can not forgive a visit to Putin. This has nothing to do with diplomacy. This is also not an agreed roadmap for negotiations. “Putin will use it for his propaganda.”
