Following a possible end to the war in Ukraine, a deployment of the Austrian Armed Forces could follow.
Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner (ÖVP) has once again expressed her willingness to consider a deployment of the Armed Forces at the end of the war in Ukraine. "When peace prevails, when there is a decision on which mission and by whom it will be led, then we will assess how we can best contribute," the minister said on Wednesday on ORF Radio Ö1. "We have never closed ourselves off from considering whether or not to participate in a mission."
"As long as war prevails, the question of whether it is about a mission cannot arise," Tanner further explained. It is clear that soldiers from neutral Austria would not be sent to a war-torn country. That is "unthinkable, it is out of the question, it is not even constitutionally possible." Austria is "militarily neutral. On the other hand, we make very large contributions within the framework of the common security and defense policy," the minister emphasized with regard to the EU. In the last 50, 60 years, one hundred thousand Austrian soldiers have made their contributions in peacekeeping missions abroad.
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