Austrian leader gives Putin warm welcome

AUSTRIA broke ranks with Britain and its European partners yesterday as it rolled out the red carpet for Vladimir Putin three months after the attempted poisoning of Sergei Skripal.

The Russian leader was given full military honours as he met Sebastian Kurz, the Austrian chancellor, and Alexander van der Bellen, the president, in Vienna.

Mr Putin used the opportunity to argue for the lifting of Western sanctions imposed over Russia’s annexation of Crimea and support for separatists in eastern Ukraine, telling a joint press conference it would benefit all sides.

“The sanctions are harmful for everyone – both those who initiated them and those who are targeted by them,” he said. The visit was an unabashed showcase for the benefits of doing business with Russia.

An Austrian energy company signed a new deal with Russia’s Gazprom to secure gas supplies until 2040, and Mr Kurz spoke of how the two countries “cooperate well not only in the political but also in the economic sphere”.

Austria was one of the few European countries not to expel any Russian diplomats over the Skripal affair, and Mr Kurz has made no secret of his desire to preserve good relations with Moscow, saying he wants Austria to be a “bridge” between Russia and the West.

Mr Putin seized on Syria to make another pitch for improved relations with Europe. “If Europe wants to reduce the flow of migrants, including from Syria and neighbouring countries, we must help people to return to their homes, we need to help them to build a life in their own countries,” he said.

He insisted he was not trying to split Europe. “We want a united and prosperous Europe,” he said on television.