Austrian Chancellor Calls Purchasing Gas from Russia 'Unpleasant'

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, in an interview with ORF television, stated that purchasing gas from Russia is "unpleasant," yet his country cannot avoid it at this time. "The number one priority is the security of energy supply," he said.

According to the politician, if this security is compromised, it will disrupt the system and production, as well as the energy supply to the people. "It is unpleasant. It is morally unpleasant, but it is a reality," Nehammer added.

He also noted that Austria began to reduce its dependence on Russian gas as early as 2022. As the Chancellor mentioned, the republic is working to expand supplies through Germany and Italy to tap into new sources.

At the same time, he pointed out that the Austrian oil and gas company OMV had contracts with Gazprom until 2040 for the supply of gas to Austria, and a unilateral termination of those contracts by Vienna would be costly.

The politician added that "burning gas would be somewhat inefficient in some places."