On a list of countries proving to be particularly helpful for Russia, Austria is overtaken by only one country.
The British weekly describes them as “useful idiots,” a Cold War term for unwitting communist allies The Economist in its current edition a number of countries that are for Russia as particularly helpful prove
Sea The Economist despite Western sanctions against Russia as a result of the war of aggression against Ukraine, there are still too many “friends” of Putin in Europe.
“Subculture of people who understand Putin”
The weekly speaks of a “subculture of people who understand Putin,” mentioning the former German chancellor, among other things Gerhard Schröder by name and writes that a number of countries are just waiting to point the finger at those responsible should the war in Ukraine last too long or go in the wrong direction.
Austria comes second in the ranking.
The list is headed by Hungary under the autocrat Viktor Orbansea The Economist the most obvious of “Putin’s henchmen”. Orban has repeatedly criticized Western support for Ukraine and continued Hungary’s imports of Russian gas. In addition, his government opposed the transit of arms to Ukraine through Hungary.
Austria points out that it is not a NATO country
“Neighboring Austria has also largely stayed out of the fight,” writes The Economist. “It cites its non-NATO membership and its self-proclaimed role as a bridge between East and West and offers little aid to Ukraine, even though its trade with Russia has greatly increased.”
Greece comes third in the ranking because of profitable oil deals with Russia, and Cyprus comes in fourth. The non-EU countries Turkey and Serbia follow. They “don’t even bother to hide the fact that they are doing lucrative services for Russia,” he said The Economist.
There is also criticism for Slovakia, Switzerland, Sweden, France and Italy. You can read the entire ranking here.