Military

Austria Must Ban NATO Arms Transit to Ukraine via Its Territory, Former Vice-Chancellor Says

VIENNA (Sputnik) - Austria should not tolerate the transit of NATO weapons to Ukraine through its territory, former Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache said on Thursday.
Sputnik

"We should not have agreed to either EU sanctions or NATO arms shipments through Austria," Strache told RIA Novosti.

He cited Austria's incumbent government as insisting that any NATO military vehicles passing through the country's territory are going to the alliance's eastern flank, not the combat zone in Ukraine.
If, however, it is confirmed that NATO weapons passing through the neutral Austria ended up going to Ukraine, ""it would be a blatant violation of the Austrian constitution and neutrality," Strache said.
Soldiers take part in an exercise at the Yavoriv military training ground, close to Lvov, Western Ukraine, Friday, Sept 24, 2021. Ukraine, the US, and other NATO countries continue joint military drills in Western Ukraine presenting offensive exercises in town-like surroundings with tanks and other military vehicles involved.
Since Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24, Western countries have been providing Kiev with humanitarian, military and financial aid. Moscow has denounced the flow of weapons to Ukraine from its Western allies, saying it adds fuel to the fire.
Moscow has repeatedly warned the West against further involvement in the conflict, while the EU, the US and NATO have maintained that they are not party to the hostilities despite training Ukrainian soldiers, sending their instructors and hardware to Ukraine, and providing intelligence.
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