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Vladimir Putin

Austria's Reaction to Putin's Disrespect for the Territorial Integrity and Sovereignty of Eastern Ukraine
Following President Putin's decision to recognize the independence of Luhansk and Donetsk in the Donbas region of Ukraine and to send "peacekeeping troops" to these areas, the Austrian government's Crisis Cabinet met to discuss how to respond. Read what Chancellor Nehammer said about the act of Russian aggression and what Austria will do.
February 22, 2022

U.S. President Is "Convinced" Putin Has Decided to Invade Ukraine
"As of this moment, I'm convinced he's made the decision. U.S. intelligence agencies had concluded that the Russian leader had made the decision to invade and would proceed accordingly," Biden said.
February 19, 2022


What Are the Minsk Agreements and Can They Help De-escalate the Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Some leaders have suggested that the Minsk Agreements could provide a path to a diplomatic solution to the current tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Read more about the Minsk Agreements and if they really do provide a viable solution to the Ukraine crisis.
February 16, 2022


Putin's Propaganda TV-Channel Tries to Expand to Austria

An attempt to supply an Austrian target group with German-language propaganda from Berlin will apparently fall victim to the media war between the two state broadcasters Russia Today (RT) in Berlin and Deutsche Welle (DW) in Moscow.
February 9, 2022

Belarus Celebrates 30-Year Anniversary at OSCE While Number of Political Prisoners at Home Has Now Reached 1000
As the Republic of Belarus celebrates its 30th anniversary at the OSCE in Vienna, the number of political prisoners in Belarus has now reached 1000. Although Belarus claims to be a long-standing, active, and committed member, the European Commission's External Action Service notes that Belarus "must adhere to its international commitments and obligations within the OSCE". Meanwhile, it became known that a troop deployment of 30,000 Russian soldiers to Belarus has also taken place.
February 4, 2022


Sergei Lavrov Expects Clarifications from Individual Western Countries on Russia's Security

The Russian foreign minister's remarks raise hopes for further diplomatic efforts in the Ukraine crisis.
February 2, 2022


Russian Ambassador in Vienna Delivers Message from Lavrov on Security Guarantees in Europe to Schallenberg

Russian Ambassador to Vienna H.E. Dmitry Lyubinsky has delivered a message about "Moscow's position on mutual security guarantees" from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg.
February 1, 2022



How Close Are We to War Between Russia and the Ukraine?


Tensions between Russia and Ukraine remain very high, and some have called a Russian invasion imminent. Read what Nina L. Kruscheva, an expert on Russia and international affairs, said about the likelihood of a war between Russia and Ukraine.
January 31, 2022

Schallenberg on Russia's Aggression Toward Ukraine: "Dialogue where possible. Clear lines where necessary."
Foreign Minister Schallenberg gave a speech in the Austrian National Council in which he addressed the current tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Read what the foreign minister warned about the situation.
January 21, 2022

Russian Arms Control Delegation in Vienna: Contradictions Related to U.S. Social Media Account Outages
According to reports by Russian news agencies TASS and RT, the Facebook account of the Russian Arms Control Delegation, a division of the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the OSCE in Vienna, was blocked last Friday and unblocked on Monday, after intervention by Russia's telecommunications watchdog Roskomnadzor. A fact check of the relevant Russian media reports reveals a tangle of allegations and exaggerations.
January 19, 2022

Russia-Austria Relationship: "A Window of Opportunity"
Against the backdrop of a simmering military-technical conflict between Russia and the West in Ukraine, Russian bilateral ambassador to Austria Dmitry Lyubinsky says Russian-Austrian ties in the sphere of culture and science have traditionally been "the trump card in relations between the two states."
January 18, 2022


Schallenberg Cautions "Ukraine's Sovereignty Is Not Negotiable Under Any Circumstances"

Foreign Minister Schallenberg recently discussed the current tensions between Ukraine and Russia at a meeting with his counterparts from the EU in Brest, France. Read more about Schallenberg's stance on Ukraine and dealing with Russia in the context of Russia's troop buildup and a recent cyberattack on Ukraine.
January 17, 2022

Austria's List of Pro-Kremlin Lobbyists Has One Cooperation Partner Less
The Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) has announced that it will not extend a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the United Russia (Единая Россия) party, a nationalist-conservative rallying party. It is the party with the largest membership in the Russian Federation under party leader Dmitry Medvedev, who supports Vladimir Putin's course. However, Russia can still rely on other former Austrian politicians. Read on to see who the most prominent supporters are.
December 16, 2021 · Updated: January 4, 2022; 14:50


Russian-Austrian Relations: What is the Sochi Dialogue?

The establishment of the Russian-Austrian civil society forum "Sochi Dialogue" dates back to an initiative by Vladimir Putin and Sebastian Kurz in February 2018. The forum's mission is to promote the exchange of views and ideas. What is the status quo?
July 20, 2021
Putin in Exchange with Austrian News Agency: "I Want to Present Myself as a Hospitable Host"

Russian President Vladimir Putin answered APA CEO, Dr. Clemens Pig's questions about Austria-Russia relations, Belarus, freedom of movement, and freedom of information at the 24th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
June 29, 2021



Estonian President and Van der Bellen: "This was State Kidnapping"


The Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid and her Austrian counterpart Alexander Van der Bellen condemn the recent developments in Belarus and demand immediate action from the European Union.
May 28, 2021


Russia's and Austria's Health Minister Discuss Covid-19 Situation

Michail Muraschko, Russia's Minister for Health, and his Austrian counterpart, Rudolf Anschober, met virtually to discuss the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, which has had far-reaching effects on both countries. As a result of the meeting, the ministers agreed on the establishment of Covid-19 related working groups.
December 4, 2020


US Ambassador Trevor Traina: Relations with Austria Stronger Than Ever

US Ambassador in Vienna Trevor Traina praises the improvement of US-Austrian relations in the recent year. A visit of President Donald Trump to Vienna is likely to happen once the travel restrictions fall.
August 20, 2020


What Does Dr. Karin Kneissl Do?

The former Foreign Minister (55) lives in Seibersdorf near Vienna and works again as an energy analyst and author of books on geopolitics, the energy industry and International relations. A columnist's article on the future of the automobile on the Russian state broadcaster Russia Today (RT), in order to market her new book "Die Mobilitätswende" (Mobility Turnaround), is attracting attention in the Austrian media.
May 13, 2020


Putin and Van der Bellen Open Sochi Dialogue Forum

The Sochi Dialogue Russian Austrian Forum was opened in the Black Sea port city as part of a working discussion between Russian and Austrian representatives from politics, business, science, education, art and culture.
May 15, 2019


Russia on the World Stage - Andrej Kolesnikov and Nina Khrushcheva at the Kreisky Forum

Professor Nina Khrushcheva interviewed Russian journalist Andrej Kolesnikov about the current situation and prospects in Russia.
November 22, 2018



Russian Espionage Incident in the Austrian Armed Forces


A colonel of the Austrian Armed Forces is suspected of having worked for decades with a Russian intelligence service. Foreign Minister Kneissl quoted the Russian chargé d'affaires to the Foreign Ministry and cancelled her planned trip to Russia.
November 9, 2018


Security Expenses at Kneissl's Wedding Amounted to Euro 223,000

According to the Ministry of the Interior, the state expenses for the large police contingent for the security of Russian President Vladimir Putin at Kneissl's wedding in August amounted to almost 222,750 euros.
September 25, 2018



OMV Celebrates 50 Years of Lucrative Natural Gas Business


On 1 June 1968, a historic gas supply contract was signed in Vienna, establishing Austria’s role as a key country in Europe’s natural gas network. The 50-year collaboration with Russia is a win-win situation. Then, as now, natural gas plays a key role in OMV's portfolio, as European demand will continue to increase over the next decades. OMV is Gazprom’s main partner in Austria. The companies cooperate in gas production, transportation and supplies.
June 6, 2018


Putin's Austria Visit: Extension of Gazprom Gas Supply Contract until 2040

OMV has formally confirmed the extension of the gas supply contract with Russia's Gazprom on the occasion of the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Austria by the two CEOs Alexey Miller and Rainer Seele.
June 6, 2018



Vladimir Putin on PR Campaign in Austria


Vladimir Putin is on his sixth official state visit to Austria. Officially, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the gas supply contract between Austria and Russia, this is a working visit to President Van der Bellen and Chancellor Kurz. In fact, a new gas supply contract between Gazprom and OMV is the main reason for the visit. Other gas deals are still in the negotiation phase, namely the Gazprom Urengoy gas field asset swap and the Nordstream 2 pipeline project. The Central European Gas Hub in Baumgarten/Lower Austria, an important gas distribution hub from the Russian perspective, could also be on the agenda.
June 5, 2018


Chancellor Kurz Visits President Putin: "The situation in Syria is dramatic"

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz traveled to Moscow to meet Vladimir Putin. The focus of the trip was a working meeting with the Russian President, with whom Kurz discussed, among other things, the bilateral relations of both countries, the relationship between Russia and the EU, the Ukraine conflict and the current situation in Syria.
February 28, 2018


Federal President Widow Margot Klestil-Löffler Designated to Become Special Envoy to Russia and China

Due to tensions in the CEI Central European Initiative in Trieste between the Italian diplomat Giovanni Caracciolo di Vietri as CEI Secretary General and his deputy Margot Klestil-Löffler, it is rumored that the Foreign Office must find a new job for Klestil-Löffler. This is what the daily "Der Standard" writes in its Thursday issue.
February 23, 2018


How do Russian Politicians and Oligarchs Withdraw their Money from Austria?

The Russian money nobility has begun to repatriate large amounts of its western-hoarded money back to Russia in order to deprive it of access by Western authorities. The countries of origin are above all Switzerland, but also Austria and Great Britain. Sberbank, Russia's largest and state-owned bank, speaks of an atypically high capital inflow to Russia. Within a few weeks, a tripling of such repatriation transactions took place compared to the same period of the previous year. The sum is hundreds of millions of dollars. The average transfer amount has increased within a year by 50% to 3 million dollars. This meets with the Kremlin's desire to repatriate Russian assets.
February 22, 2018


Joint Russia-US Fight against ISIS: Kerry and Lavrov to Hold Syria Talks in Vienna

US Secretary of State John Kerry will meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday in Vienna to discuss the Syrian conflict together with their counterparts from Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The meeting was made possible following the involvement of Vladimir Putin in serious diplomacy and the surprise visit by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to Moscow on Tuesday.
October 23, 2015


Austrian Doctor Treats Vladimir Putin in Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has disappeared from the public eye since March 5th, is said to suffer from back problems, according to information from the "Kurier". He is now supposed to be treated by a Viennese orthopedic surgeon.
March 15, 2015


George Soros: "A New Policy to Rescue Ukraine"

Soros is calling on members of the European Union to behave as countries indirectly at war with Russia and to provide Ukraine with $50 billion to defend itself and kick-start political reforms. Russian President Vladimir Putin's imperial ambition has unintentionally brought into being a new Ukraine that is adamantly opposed to endemic corruption and inefficient government. By offering assistance, Europe can foster an open society in Ukraine and protect itself from Russian aggression.
January 22, 2015


Voestalpine to Supply Linepipe Plates for the Second South Stream Pipeline

This year sees the voestalpine Group securing its third major contract in the pipeline business. Following the first, now completed, contract for the Russian-European pipeline project South Stream, and for Rota 3, a pipeline project in Brazil, voestalpine will deliver 120,000 tons of sour-gas-resistant, high-strength linepipe plates for the second South Stream pipeline by spring 2015. The South Stream contract is not affected by sanctions. Further negotiations are also currently underway concerning extremely challenging pipeline projects.
September 5, 2014


Russia Orders Agricultural Import Bans in Sanction Retaliation

Vladimir Putin signed a decree limiting or banning imports of agricultural products from countries which have imposed sanctions on Russia, the Kremlin's press service announced. It is estimated that following CEE/SEE countries will be hit by the retaliatory sanctions: Romania, Serbia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Brussels, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
August 6, 2014


Analysis: The South Stream Gas Pipeline

Due to the signing of the South Stream agreement between OMV and Gazprom for the Austrian part of the pipeline during Putin's visit to Vienna, we take a look at the background of the project.
June 25, 2014


Gas Deal: China to Invest $22Bln, Russia to Invest $55Bln

Russia’s overall investment on delivering gas to China is $55 billion and China’s investment is estimated at around $22 billion according to a contract signed by the two countries in Shanghai, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday.
May 21, 2014


Poland Fears War in Ukraine

According to Poland´s Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Poland should prepare for the worst case in Ukraine.
April 25, 2014


Ukraine Leaves Path Towards EU

After the Association Agreement between the Ukraine and the European Union failed head of state Mykola Asarov stated economic reasons for the abrupt stop.
November 22, 2013


Dispute about Gas between Russian and Ukraine about to Escalate

According to Russian energy giant Gazprom, Ukraine has not yet paid deliveries of natural gas in the amount of around € 639m.
October 29, 2013


Turkey: „Perhaps We Will Never Join the EU“

Turkey´s Minister of European Afffairs Egemen Bagis stated that Turkey feels insulted.
September 23, 2013


Russia: Stronger Regulations for Market for Consumer Loans

Business with consumer credits have started comparatively late in Russia. Now, the market is supposed to be regulated further.
July 29, 2013


Gazprom Runs Risk Of Losing Leading Position

Currently, only state-controlled energy giant Gazprom is permitted to export gas. Due to cooperations with French Total and Chinese enterprises, Moscow now intends to open the market.
July 9, 2013


Rosneft to Take Over Itera Completely

Russian oil producer Rosneft has taken over gas corporation Itera completely and now wants to compete against energy giant Gazprom.
July 2, 2013


Snowden Applies For Asylum in Austria

Former US intelligence official Edward Snowden has applied for asylum in several countries, among them Austria, according to WikiLeaks.
July 2, 2013


Putin Offers Snowden Right to Stay

Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered fugitive IT specialist Edward Snowden a right to stay as long as he will not further harm the US.
July 1, 2013


Rosneft to Supply China Over 25 Years

Russia’s Rosneft agreed to double oil supplies to China, in a deal worth $ 270bn.
June 24, 2013


Russia: Putin Changes Personnel at Ministry of Economics

In the light of the menancing recession, Russian president Vladimir Putin has reorganized the leaders of economic policy-makers.
June 24, 2013


Russia to Improve Relations to China

Russia turns its back on Europe and starts focusing on Asia instead in regard to oil export.
June 21, 2013


Macedonia to Join South Stream Pipeline Project

Contracts will be signed next week in St. Peterburg.
June 12, 2013


Russia: Gazprom Looking for Alternative Markets

After 40 years of a surge in revenues, Russian energy giant Gazprom has to face turbulent times in Europe.
June 3, 2013