PR stunt or coup?
Nehammer sees Putin’s visit as a blueprint – also for Scholz
By Christian Bartlau, Vienna
4/11/2022, 9:09 p.m
Karl Nehammer is the first EU head of government to travel to Russia since the attack on Ukraine. The excitement is great, as are the expectations. But Austria’s chancellor draws a sobering conclusion. And still sees himself as a role model.
Karl Nehammer avoided the first pitfall: the Austrian Chancellor’s visit to Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence near Moscow lasted 75 minutes, after which the two heads of government went their separate ways. No joint statement, not even a joint photo – at the express wish of the Austrians, according to the Chancellor’s team.
It was the greatest of many fears that accompanied Nehammer during his controversial audience with the warlord: Is little Austria, which likes to think of itself as a “bridge builder”, becoming Moscow’s involuntary helper? Isn’t the first face-to-face meeting with an EU head of government since the attack on Ukraine just for the Kremlin chief’s propaganda? At least Nehammer didn’t want to deliver the pictures for it.
However, Nehammer had to admit that he could not achieve anything countable in the conversation, which he described as “direct, open and hard”: “I have no optimistic impression that I can take with me,” he said after the meeting. And yet he calls on his counterparts like Olaf Scholz to do the same, to end telephone diplomacy – and to seek personal talks with Vladimir Putin.
You can hardly put much more pressure on yourself on a diplomatic mission than Nehammer before his trip to Moscow: just five months ago, the ÖVP man took over the office of Sebastian Kurz’s substitute Alexander Schallenberg, now he wanted to speak to the long-term ruler’s conscience is seen in parts of the world as an outright liar and a war criminal. A ceasefire, humanitarian corridors and an investigation into the atrocities in Bucha – Nehammer set these possible goals in advance, knowing full well that Russia has not moved in the least on any of these points.
A request to Olaf Scholz
“My most important message to Putin was (…) that this war must finally end, because in a war there are only losers on both sides,” Nehammer said afterwards. He saw his visit as a “duty”, he didn’t want to leave anything untried, after all there was no alternative to a direct conversation “despite all the differences”. It was important to confront the Russian president with the reality of the war, to address the crimes against the civilian population directly, “and to look him in the eye”.
In a video conference with journalists, Nehammer said he had already informed Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz about the talks and encouraged him to also consider a face-to-face meeting: “It just makes a difference.”
Why the Russian side agreed to the meeting remains unclear. Nehammer himself claims to have taken the initiative. The leaders of the EU were apparently not directly involved but informed, as was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whom Nehammer only met in Kyiv at the weekend. If Selenskyi hadn’t agreed, Nehammer said, “then I wouldn’t be sitting here.”
Nehammer wouldn’t be an Austrian politician if he hadn’t said the word “bridge builder” before leaving for Moscow, an attribute that little Austria adorns itself with, also happily referring to the special role played by Vienna in international diplomacy : The Congress of Vienna danced here in 1814/15, Kennedy and Khrushchev met here in 1961, nuclear negotiations with Iran are still ongoing here.
Neutral but problematic
Austria also bases its claim on its neutrality – the country belongs to the EU, but not to NATO. “Militarily neutral, but not moral” is the motto under which Vienna positioned itself clearly in the Ukraine war, and yet within the EU Vienna is seen as an uncertain cannon when it comes to Russia. Austria has still not been able to dispel the suspicion that it vetoed sanctions against Oleg Deripaska, an oligarch with shares in the construction giant Strabag. While Strabag has now withdrawn Deripaska’s co-determination rights, Austria is lobbying together with Germany against a gas embargo. Dependence on Russian gas is even higher than in the neighboring country: 80 percent of the gas comes from Russia and covers around 30 percent of the entire energy requirement.
The dependency has a long tradition. In 1968, Austria was the first Western European country to buy Russian gas. Putin himself came to Vienna to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the supply contract. At that time, the ÖVP-FPÖ government under Sebastian Kurz advocated a gradual lifting of EU sanctions. In an interview, Putin himself was pleased that Kurz saw the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project positively. Like other Austrian industrial groups, the partially state-owned oil company OMV invested heavily in Russia. For Russian oligarchs, Austria was a popular place for investment and not least luxury holidays in the Alps.
The bizarre highlight of the Austrian-Russian friendship was delivered by the then Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl, who invited Vladimir Putin to her wedding in the summer of 2018 in Styria – and after a dance together, she knelt in front of him.
Sebastian Kurz used the traditionally good connection to Moscow during the Corona period for a low blow against Brussels: In the dispute over the allegedly unfair distribution of vaccines, Austria suddenly negotiated with Russia about the delivery of Sputnik V. Although Kurz had already reported completion, it came Deal never went through.
Moscow trip as a diversionary maneuver?
The Austrian opposition now senses a PR stunt à la Kurz during the chancellor’s trip to Russia. In fact, Nehammer is struggling with falling poll numbers for his ÖVP and an embarrassing posse: Two of his bodyguards caused a car accident under the influence of alcohol, which was kept secret for a long time until the Interior Ministry even had to admit that the officials in the Chancellor’s apartment had gotten drunk – in the presence of Nehammer’s wife.
The relationship with the coalition partner from the Greens is meanwhile tense, which is easy to read from the fact that Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler was not privy to the plans for Nehammer’s trip and accordingly commented tight-lipped: “Provided that the trip is coordinated with the EU, it could be a worth trying.”
The chancellor’s solo effort has also caused quite a stir abroad. The “Bild” newspaper quoted an unnamed Ukrainian diplomat who spoke of Nehammer’s “overconfidence”. Eastern European politicians such as Latvia’s Deputy Prime Minister Artis Pabriks were surprised. “Who can explain to me what Austria’s chancellor wants in Moscow?” Pabriks wrote on twitter.
In any case, when he wanted to mediate direct talks between Putin and Zelenskyy, Nehammer was unsuccessful. Putin showed no reaction to a suggestion that the Ukrainian president was ready for this, Austria’s chancellor told journalists. However, Putin is showing confidence in the negotiations in Turkey. Overall, however, the Kremlin chief is stuck “deep in the logic of war.” Putin replied to his hope that the war would have to end soon: “It’s better if it ends quickly.” But that could also be a bad sign – and point to a brutal offensive in eastern Ukraine.