An advisor to the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has criticized the trip by Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) to Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin and cited it as an example of Austria’s supposed closeness to Russia. “I doubt if that was necessary. Because from a Russian point of view it shows that Putin still enjoys international respect,” Zelenskyy’s economic adviser Alexander Rodnianskyj told the daily newspaper “Der Standard” (weekend edition).
“I think it would be important to show that Putin is isolated in the West. Can anything be achieved through these talks? I do not think so. One has seen over the years what dialogue with Russia achieves: nothing. We are at war,” argued the Zelenskyi adviser. Nehammer had defended himself once morest criticism of his Moscow trip with reference to the Ukrainian President, among other things. The trip to Putin was not only agreed with the EU leaders, but also with Zelenskyj, he emphasized.
“Particularly strong Russian lobby” in Austria
As further examples of the strong Russian influence in Austria, the son of the media manager of the same name named the wedding dance of the then Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl with Putin and the oligarch Oleg Deripaska, who was not on the EU sanctions list for a long time. “As far as I understand, Austria’s support saved him every time,” said Rodnyanskyj. Austria has “less weight than Germany. But in Austria there is a particularly strong Russian lobby, maybe even stronger than in Germany.”
Rodnjanskyj argues for oil embargo
Rodnjanskyj urged drastic measures once morest Russian oil exports. Russia covers 35 percent of its state revenues through oil sales, while it is only 15 to 20 percent with gas. The profit margin for oil is also higher than for gas, so the Russian state has more left over. “So it would be logical to start there. It doesn’t even have to be a full embargo, even a high import duty would be effective,” Rodnjanskyj brought up, for example, an EU import duty of 80 percent. That would force Russia to lower its prices in order to be able to offer competitively. “Then all the profit from the sales will disappear on the Russian side. So we would have already reached our goal.” Something similar might then also be done for gas.
Asked regarding the effects of an energy embargo on the European economy, Rodnjanskyj said: “The consequences will not be that bad.” Oil is quite easy to replace. If you start in summer, you would have until winter to adapt. “Sure, there will be costs. The worst scenario assumes that an embargo would cost Germany 1,200 euros per capita income. That’s a lot of money, but it’s not the end of the world.”
