Vienna/Strasbourg – After abstaining from the vote in the EU Parliament on further support for Ukraine, the head of the EU delegation of the Austrian Greens, Thomas Waitz, has defended the decision. The resolution contained two demands which in his view were “problematic” in terms of military neutrality, Waitz said on Ö1-Mittagsjournal on Saturday.
The resolution requires member states to supply all types of weapons for all types of use and to spend at least 0.25 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) on them. For him, this is “not compatible” with Austrian neutrality, Waitz explained his abstention from the vote on Thursday in Strasbourg. However, he entirely supports Ukraine, which is why he only abstained – and did not vote against – the MEP explained. Ukraine needs “much more than weapons” and Austria should “do more”, Waitz demanded.
Not legally binding
The second Green MEP, Lena Schilling, also abstained from the vote. The six FPÖ MEPs voted against, all other Austrians voted in favor.
The resolution is not legally binding. It was adopted with 495 votes in favor, 137 against and 47 abstentions.
Ewa Ernst-Dziedzic, foreign policy spokesperson for the Greens, stated on Platform X (formerly Twitter) that she really regretted the abstention. It is important to stand on Ukraine’s side and “not send any other signals to Russia. It is absolutely clear that militarily neutral Austria will continue to refrain from supplying weapons,” she wrote.__Courtesy Der Standard
