Sebastian Kurz has already done a lot at the age of 35. He was Foreign Minister and from 2017 to 2021 – with an interruption – the youngest Federal Chancellor in Austria. He now works in the private sector. However, he is still concerned with the geopolitical situation, as he proves in an interview at the Swiss Economic Forum in Interlaken.
SRF: In view of the war in Europe, there is talk of a turning point. Austria is geographically close to Ukraine. What would you do if you were still chancellor?
Sebastian Kurz: I don’t answer what-if questions. But the real challenge is that many crises are occurring simultaneously. We still have the pandemic with lockdown, with the risk that the virus will strike again in the autumn. In addition, there is massive inflation and the war in Ukraine. Certain parts of the world may even face food shortages that could lead to tremendous suffering.
Does this simultaneity of crises overwhelm politics?
no But for a positive impulse you should make progress in one area. When it comes to inflation, there is a chance that after a rate hike, things will be viewed positively – namely that the high inflation will calm down a bit. As for the Ukraine crisis, there was no alternative for the EU but to react resolutely to this aggressive Russian war of aggression. Perhaps the good news is that wars always end in negotiations. And to that extent I have some hope that the Istanbul peace process might lead to a peaceful solution.
Was the West too naïve about Putin? In Austria, too, there are many people who were close to Putin or had a lot of understanding for him before the war.
Nobody was blue-eyed. The question is which approach is the right one. There was massive Russian aggression against Ukraine back in 2014. I was foreign minister at the time and also visited eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine complains that nothing significant happened then and that the current situation is a consequence of this inaction of the 2014 policy.
There are different theories about this. If the EU had reacted more harshly earlier, it might have done something. Perhaps it would have led to an even earlier escalation. To answer afterwards what would have been if – no one can do that. There are some who act as if they saw it all coming. In all these years as foreign minister and head of government I have been involved in many negotiations. I did not meet anyone who foresaw this aggression of the Russian leadership towards Ukraine.
Many people, including our guest yesterday – Anne Applebaum, an expert on Eastern Europe – say that there is only one thing: Ukraine must win this war. What do you say?
There are different approaches: the Russian side certainly underestimated the Ukrainians’ ability to defend themselves. The plan apparently proposed by President Putin didn’t work out that way. But far too many people die every day. This war has caused unbelievable suffering in Ukraine. In my view, a peaceful solution to this conflict would be absolutely desirable. At least a truce would be a step forward towards less bloodshed. That should be the goal.
Reto Lipp conducted the interview.
SEF live June 3, 2022; srf