Minister Asselborn once again honoured his reputation for not holding back on pertinent foreign affairs issues. In conversation with ORF2, he gave a sobering assessment of the current situation in Ukraine and in Europe: “You know, the cynical thing about our time is that a psychopath like Putin with a strong army can orient foreign policies with his weapons. That is a total rupture with what we have built since 1945 with the UN and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”
The LSAP politician also stressed that crossing a red line means consequences, even for NATO. Should the organisation decide to intervene in the conflict, then all of Europe will be at war, even those countries that are not members of NATO.
Minister Asselborn was also asked about the possibility of introducing further sanctions and embargoes against Russia. In this matter, he agreed with Karoline Edtstadler, the Federal Minister for the EU and Constitution at the Federal Chancellery of Austria, that a potential embargo on Russian gas and petrol should be on the table. Minister Asselborn also expressed certainty that Russian gas and petrol deliveries will eventually be suspended, meaning that intense preparations have to be taken.
The invitees at ORF2 all agreed that no matter the situation, diplomatic efforts have to continue and it remains of upmost importance to get both parties at war to start negotiating peace.
