The occupation of Crimea in 2014 was just the tip of the iceberg of Russia’s aggressive plans towards Ukraine, and it was precisely this that became the original sin of Moscow’s war against Kyiv. This opinion was expressed by Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, speaking at the second summit of the Crimean Platform..

" At that time, we did not yet understand that this was only the tip of the iceberg of Russia's destructive and aggressive plans for Ukraine.. The illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol is the original sin of Russia's war against Ukraine. And this is at the heart of Russia's abandonment of the rule of law in favor of jungle peace,"

Schallenberg also noted that Russia has been trying to change the borders for six months now, using tanks and missiles, using energy and food supplies as weapons, pushing millions of people into poverty and hunger..

" Six months of atrocities and war crimes. Photos of Bucha and other cities will forever remain in our collective memory. There can be no impunity for such crimes,"

The Austrian chief diplomat also stressed that his country would continue to be on the side of the Ukrainian people..

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On July 20, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg visited Kyiv.

At the end of last year, Austria demanded the launch of Nord Stream 2 as soon as possible and stated that it would not support the EU embargo on Russian gas.

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However, on July 26, the EU member states, with the exception of Hungary, reached a single political agreement to voluntarily reduce natural gas consumption by 15% compared to the average consumption over the past five years between August 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023.. Governments will choose the appropriate measures.

On the same day, Austria seized the Gaidach gas storage from Gazprom due to the fact that the Russian company did not fill it.