Austria, despite being committed to military neutrality under its constitution, cannot be politically neutral when it comes to the situation in Ukraine, Austrian Defense Minister Claudia Tanner said.
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“It is important to emphasize that while we are militarily neutral in accordance with our constitution and legal regulations, we are certainly not politically neutral when it comes to Ukraine. That is why we supported all EU sanctions from the very beginning. The main idea is solidarity with Ukraine,” the Minister of Defense said.
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It is noted that, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Austria has pledged more than 580 million euros, mainly in the form of humanitarian aid.
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“Every request that comes from Ukraine … is checked by us, and then also delivered,” Tanner said.
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Also, the Minister of Defense of Austria added that Austria is one of the countries that have received the most Ukrainian refugees. After the start of a special military operation in Ukraine, the country received more than 50,000 people.
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“We accepted them and took care of them. I consider this a very important achievement,” she added.
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Earlier, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said that Austria is not involved in the supply of lethal weapons to Ukraine.
