The right wing in Austria demands that Chancellor Karl Nehammer clarify the situation with France, Britain and Germany with immediate effect.

Following German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s latest statements that British and French troops are already actively involved in the deployment of long-range missiles in Ukraine, Herbert Kickl, president of the Austrian Freedom Party (FPO), called on Karl Nehammer, the EPP’s federal chancellor, to provide full information on these dangerous developments with immediate effect.

„After French President Emmanuel Macron refused to rule out the deployment of EU or NATO troops in Ukraine on Monday, Mr Nehammer warned only days later of an uncontrollable escalation spiral leading to a third world war, should NATO troops be deployed. It has since emerged that apparently two NATO members, the UK and France – one of whom is also an EU member state, like like Austria – are actively engaged in this war, with troops deploying missiles. If Chancellor Nehammer is serious about his fears, he should seek full clarification from the ambassadors of France, Britain and Germany and demand the immediate withdrawal of these troops. If he does not, it will become clear that the EU and its NATO partners are lying to Austria in the name of so-called Western values,”

– Herbert Kickl said. The federal government’s obedience to NATO and the EU cannot drag Austria deeper into this war, which has the greatest potential for escalation, he added. As a result, all payments to the European Peace Facility, which continues to fund the weapons meant for Ukraine, must be stopped immediately, he said.

„The very fact that the governing coalition has obliged Austrian taxpayers to assist in the payment of weapon deliveries to Ukraine, a country at war, is a betrayal of our perpetual neutrality that safeguards the well-being of our citizens. And so is the fact that we’ve accepted the sanctions that are damaging to our economy. Consequently, we must stop all payments towards the EU’s cynical war-funding instrument,”

Mr Kickl stressed.

The party chief believes that this would be the first step towards the necessary peace settlement, to which Austria can only contribute as a mediator on the basis of its perpetual neutrality. However, the government had failed to enforce the principle of neutrality enshrined in Austria’s constitution, he recalled, adding that

„we warned from the beginning that the sanctions would not end the war and that the weapons would not bring peace – and we have been proved right again. The dramatic developments, the escalating spiral of war in Ukraine, fuelled by the irresponsible elites of the EU, NATO and Russia, must revive an active policy of neutrality for the sake of Austrians and their security. Our country’s place in wars and conflicts is not on either side, but rather as a possible venue for peace talks.”

Petra Steger, FPO’s candidate for the European Parliament, has submitted a petition calling on the federal government to ensure that EU member states do not send troops to Ukraine as part of the common foreign and security policy.