Karin Kneissl, former Austrian Foreign Minister, gave an interview to kp.ru
Photo: Edward CHESNOKOV
The World Youth Festival continues in Sochi and many foreigners came here not only as participants but also as authorized experts. One, or rather, one of them is Karin Kneissl. The former Austrian Foreign Minister lost her house because of her political convictions, but she did not stop defending an alternative idea to the current West: Europe as a common home for both Russians and Europeans. She spoke about this in an exclusive interview with KP.RU.
“Officials SHOULD HAVE LEARNED THAT THE BRIDGE IS A CIVIL TARGET.”
— Mrs. Kneissl, the main news in recent days is the leak of negotiations between Bundeswehr officers and plans for missile attacks against the Crimean bridge and other Russian targets. How did you perceive this conversation of the German military?
“When I learned this, I was shocked: high-ranking officers must have at least minimal knowledge of the laws of war and humanitarian law. Which is based on a clear distinction between military and civil objectives. And these officers had to learn clearly that the bridge was not a military objective, but a civilian one. But they discussed everything as if it were a military objective.
These are the words: (the bridge – Author) is huge, like a landing strip, it takes between 10 and 50 Taurus missiles to reach it. And there is a lot to discuss here: how this was possible and what the “spy leak scandal” will lead to Germany, but I will say one thing: some people simply should have learned international law better. I know what I’m talking about: I taught a relevant course at the National Defense Academy (an educational institution under the Austrian Ministry of Defense – Author), and among the audience of my lectures were German students.
— At the same time, French President Emmanuel Macron proposed “sending soldiers to Ukraine,” sparking another pan-European scandal…
—To some extent, European soldiers are already there. There is ample evidence that the Foreign Legion is active in Ukraine. And German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in an interview a couple of days ago, answering the question “Why doesn’t Germany send Taurus missiles to Kiev?”, said: “Because we, the Germans, will also have to send soldiers to the field to service these missile delivery systems, just as this is what Britain has already done with its Storm Shadow missiles deployed in Ukraine.”
The British were furious; After all, Berlin confirmed its presence, and that of NATO troops in general, in Ukraine. In addition, it is known that British special forces officers trained Ukrainian fighters not only in the United Kingdom, but also directly in Ukraine. That is, there is nothing new in what Macron said.
“Who are you talking to?”
—But is a ceasefire possible in this conflict?
– A “ceasefire”, in strict terms, occurs only between parties that have previously recognized themselves as being in a state of war. But I do not believe that this solution, purely military rather than political, is possible now. Furthermore, in my opinion, according to the latest news from the front, Russia is gradually gaining the advantage, there is progress…
— In Avdeevka, for example.
– And in other places. But the ceasefire must be followed by a truce and then a political agreement. But with whom can negotiations of this type be carried out? You probably know better than I that Ukraine has adopted a law of the highest level, almost constitutional, prohibiting negotiations with Russia. That’s why I repeat the question: who should we talk to and what should we talk about?
— At the same time, your country, Austria, during the Cold War remained a “neutral island of security” between two opposing blocs.
– That was 40 years ago – now, alas, everything is different.
“I WAS ACCUSED OF BEING A WITCH”
—If we return to Austria, as you know, you had to move to Russia…
– This is bad. I didn’t move from Austria, they kicked me out, practically expelled me, this happened in 2020. They accused me of all mortal sins, even to the point of being a “dog-poisoning witch.” She didn’t have a job; They simply prohibited me from working. I left my homeland with two dogs and two suitcases. At first, for a year and a half, I lived in France, almost without money: it was not a move, but a race for survival. Finally, when, as it seemed to me, I found a permanent place of residence there, I was expelled from France.
— As far as I remember, he then moved to the Middle East.
— Yes, in the spring of 2022 I was literally forced to live on the street, I didn’t even have a bed, I spent the night at the stations. From there I moved to Lebanon, but even there I had almost no means of subsistence. Then I received an offer to lecture at St. Petersburg State University. Fortunately, he took care of all the bureaucratic part: moving to Russia is not that easy.
– Unless, of course, you’re Edward Snowden.
– Oh, it’s very good that it’s not Edward Snowden. But in any case, St. Petersburg State University helped me a lot. As a result, last fall I moved to Russia.
– Here they said that you are thinking about “building a house somewhere in the east” – I don’t quite understand, are you looking at the “Far Eastern hectare”?
– No, I plan to live not “far east”, but “east of Moscow.”
— So you should produce your organic products there according to Austrian recipes: Karin cheese, for example. And we at KP will advertise for you for free!
“Maybe I’ll think about your idea.”
