Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said Thursday his country would not support a possible import ban on Russian oil and gas given the country’s heavy reliance on energy supplies from Moscow.
In an interview for OE24, when asked why Austria is not banning Russian energy supplies and following in the footsteps of some states, the Austrian politician replied that the country has a “different dependency”. “Because of this, There is a clear rejection on ideas to ban imports of Russian oil or gas. You have to know what is possible and what is not. Cannot stop import“, he explained.
Regarding the decree signed by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin this Thursday, which lays down the rules for the sale of Russian natural gas to “unfriendly countries” in rubles, Nehammer explained that Austria was still waiting for the details of the Russian energy giant Gazprom to assess the situation.
“The fact is that Austria has active contracts with Gazprom in euros and dollars. The situation is similar in Germany. We have not yet received any information from Gazprom about a possible contract change,” he said.
The gas supply issue remains one of the most pressing for Austria, according to Nehammer, but the government is already taking steps to ensure the country has the necessary reserves for next winter.
On March 30, the Austrian government activated an early warning mechanism in its energy contingency plan in the event that gas supplies from Russia fail. According to Nehammer, early warning guarantees the possibility of “being prepared for changes and being able to react quickly”. (RT News)