Austria’s Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger has called for an open discussion on the country’s long-standing neutrality, stating that it no longer guarantees national security in the face of growing geopolitical instability and an increasingly aggressive Russia.
In an interview with Die Welt, Meinl-Reisinger emphasized that neutrality alone does not protect Austria and pointed to the importance of strengthening defense capabilities and deepening international partnerships. “Austria is protected by investment in its own defense capacities and in its partnerships,” she said.
The minister’s remarks follow a proposal by Emil Brix, Director of the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, suggesting that Austria consider joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Meinl-Reisinger expressed support for a public debate on the issue, acknowledging that the current political and public majority remains opposed to NATO membership.
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Meinl-Reisinger also addressed Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, stating that Ukraine seeks peace, while Russia continues its campaign of aggression. She added that if Russian leader Vladimir Putin were genuinely interested in peace, he would have engaged in ceasefire negotiations.
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When the Cold War ended and the russian dominated countries gained their freedom, some of their war plans were revealed. A famous one is Seven Days to the River Rhine. It was an exercise gaming a Barbarossa-style surprise attack against western europe using nuclear weapons.
The Austrian capital Vienna was to be hit with two 500 kiloton atomic bombs (each bomb about 25 times the yield of the bomb that devastated Hiroshima). The exercise carefully avoided using nukes against the nuclear powers France and Britain but used them freely against everyone else; especially for terror attacks against civilian targets. This is very much in line with russian tactics displayed when the reformers were ousted and Russia resumed its traditional military aggression.
With Austria reeling from the atrocity, russian forces, bolstered by its colonial subjects, would have rolled through Austria and flanked NATO defenders in western Germany.