Even if Austria wanted to provide military support to Ukraine, it would not be able to do so due to the limited defense capabilities.
This was stated by Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen , who spoke at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Vienna on Monday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
“Currently, our defense spending in Austria is about 1% of GDP. This already shows that we still have a lot to catch up with compared to other countries. At the same time, this shows that, even if we wanted to, we would not be able to help Ukraine in the military area because we ourselves have long been busy building up our own army,” Van der Bellen said, answering Ukrinform’s question whether he sees opportunities to strengthen support for Ukraine in its effort to repel Russian aggression.
According to the president, Austria has not taken the issue of its own defense seriously for decades, and only now has the “modernization and re-equipment of Austria’s armed forces” begun.
At the same time, the Austrian president assured that Austria will continue to support Ukraine within the framework of its neutrality, in particular, in the medical, educational, and energy sectors.
“Austria stands shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine and its suffering, but courageous and resilient people,” Van der Bellen emphasized.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is paying an official visit to the Republic of Austria on Monday, June 16.
Source: Austria can’t help Ukraine militarily due to “limited capabilities” – president
