The energy factor in the Russian-Austrian relations in the context of Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

Abstract

The article presents the influence of Austria's energy interests and its cooperation in this area with Russia on foreign policy in the context of Russian aggression against Ukraine. The importance of the energy factor for the implementation of the anti-Russian sanctions policy of the US and the EU, of which Austria is a member, is also analyzed. A striking example of the impact of Austria's economic cooperation with Russia was the Nord Stream-2 project. It has been proved that economic pragmatism and the desire to become an influential participant in the European energy market have become the basis for Austria's political and diplomatic maneuvering. The facts in the article indicate the ambiguity of Austria's political position regarding anti-Russian sanctions during the OSCE chairmanship. On the basis of the analysis, it was concluded that the inconsistency of the position regarding Russia's aggression against Ukraine contributes to minimizing economic losses by reducing the international image of Austria as a neutral state.