Chancellor Nehammer in an interview published by the Austrian national news agency stated that he is still in opposition to sanctioning gas imports from Russia, saying that Austria, Germany, Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary all heavily depend on it.
He added that embargoing gas imports will severely and adversely affect both Austrian industries and households.
Putin had responded to western sanctions by requiring that payments in exchange for Russian energy be made in ruble rather than euros or dollars and issued a decree necessitating that transactions are made through the Russian bank, Gazprom.
As for Finland and Sweden's request to join NATO, the chancellor replied that it is a byproduct of the war Putin did not take into account.
In concluding his talk, Nehammer reaffirmed Austria will continue with its neutral state, put into effect in 1955, after the Second World War and the withdrawal of foreign forces from Austrian lands.
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