Austria’s lawmakers walk out of Zelensky's speech to parliament
More than 20 lawmakers from Austria’s pro-Russia Freedom Party (FPO) have walked out of the lower house of parliament during a speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The FPO politicians protested that Zelensky's speech on Thursday violated Austria's neutrality in the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
Zelensky addressed the chamber via video link from Ukraine and thanked Austria for its humanitarian aid and help with projects such as clearing land mines.
Ahead of his speech, the MPs warned they would hold some form of a demonstration against his remarks.
Australia says its principle of neutrality prevents it from military involvement in the conflict and it cannot send the country weapons in its fight against the Russian forces.
Austria has previously said it supports Ukraine politically but cannot help its defense militarily.
The FPO politicians had warned days before that it would protest against Zelensky’s address. The lawmakers attended the start of the speech and then left.
“It is sad that the FPO is the only party in parliament that takes our ever-lasting neutrality seriously, thereby also standing up for peace,” FPO leader Herbert Kickl said in a statement on Tuesday.
The lawmakers left small placards on their desks featuring the party logo and either “space for neutrality” or “space for peace”.
The Austrian party FPO walked out on Zelensky’s speech and marked their seats with the slogans:
— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) March 30, 2023
- Seat for Freedom
- Seat for Neutrality
-> Bravo! pic.twitter.com/2f2xb6wJVl
Russia began its “special military operation” in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 with a declared aim of “demilitarizing” Donbas, which is made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk self-proclaimed republics. Back in 2014, the two republics, which are predominantly Russian-speaking, broke away from Ukraine, prompting Kiev to launch a bloody war against both regions. The years-long conflict has killed more than 14,000 people, mostly in the Donbas.
Since the onset of the conflict between the two countries, the United States and its European allies have unleashed an array of unprecedented sanctions against Russia and poured numerous batches of advanced weapons into Ukraine to help its military fend off the Russian troops, despite repeated warnings by the Kremlin that such measures will only prolong the war.
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