The sanctions policy against Russia should be reconsidered, as it hurts European people more than the Russians, say an increasing number of politicians among the ranks of the Austrian People's Party (OVP), currently in government with the Greens.

The effectiveness of the sanctions against Russia should be continually monitored, said OVP’s Tomas Stelzer, the governor of Upper Austria, in a recent interview. Austria is in a difficult situation as it is, so it is evident that the sanctions must be reconsidered, the politician opined. Mr Stelzer stated that although he supports the punitive measures, their impact should be evaluated from time to time.

„We have been locally elected and appointed to the task, so that we could take care of our population”

the governor said. The coalition between OVP and the Greens is also called the black-green coalition. The right-wing Austrian Freedom Party (FPO) also sharply criticised the botched sanction policy before. The party now responded to the words of the governor by saying:

„There is unrest in the ranks of OVP because of the sanctions against Russia. The blacks are too deeply scared that there will be an energy shortage in winter, and no one can or wants to explain to the population that the black-green coalition itself is to blame for that.

Chancellor Karl Nehammer, however, does nothing about the situation, Axel Kassegger, the party’s foreign policy expert said. „A government that does not the put the interest of Austria and its citizens first is worthless,” he said, adding that by its inaction, the government is acting against its own country.

„For us, however, it was immediately clear, that we can only shoot ourselves in the leg with these sanctions packages. What this OVP is doing, with its ties to the EU and together with the green-party warmongers, is simply horrible! All the OVP and the Greens will achieve is to drive us into insane inflation and a shortage of energy sources for heating.”

Mr Kassegger also hinted in the statement that Karl Nehammer is not the real leader in Austria and that he believes that the country is going nowhere with the current government.

“It is time to put an end to this more than sad and state-damaging spectacle with new elections. A government that is polling at just 35 per cent is driving an entire country into cruel chaos and plunging people into poverty and despair – no thanks!”

the right-wing politician said. The FPO has also recently demanded that military transit in Austria be stopped. So far, 443 military shipments have passed through Austria since the beginning of the year, most of them from NATO countries and containing military equipment used in Ukraine, including heavy weapons and ammunition. Walter Rosenkranz says

„the fact that Austria is becoming a military logistical centre for the belligerents is greatly damaging to our constant neutrality and will ultimately lead to our neutrality no longer being respected and accepted internationally. This also entails a security risk that Austria is exposed to, due to the opportunistic behaviour of the federal government and the president. This is a development that cannot be accepted in light of our constitutional provisions and our eternal neutrality enshrined therein,”

Mr Rosenkranz said, adding that the Austrian government is clearly taking sides in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, whereas the country should remain neutral in this respect.