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Austria can evacuate embassy staff from Kiev if necessary — top diplomat

If the situation becomes dangerous and risks emerge, appropriate steps will be taken, Alexander Schallenberg pointed out

BRUSSELS, January 24. /TASS/. Austria has evacuation plans for embassy staff in Kiev but a decision to implement them will only be made if necessary and depends on developments in Ukraine, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg told reporters in Brussels on Monday before an EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting.

"Of course, we have plans for evacuating the embassies in Kiev, but so far we have not started this because it is very important for us right now, in this phase, to have a maximum presence there. If the situation becomes dangerous and risks emerge, something we are monitoring closely, appropriate steps will be taken," Schallenberg said.

The Austrian minister reiterated that the West would clearly respond to Russia if it decided on military aggression "with tanks and missiles" in Ukraine. At the same time, Schallenberg noted that the EU depends to some extent on gas supplies from Russia, so sanctions against Nord Stream 2 are unreasonable. "In terms of financial sanctions and the trade of goods, everything is on the table, but I do not think that measures against a pipeline that is not yet operative are a credible threat against Russia," he explained.

Schallenberg also said that the EU is considering the possibility of imposing sanctions against Russia in several stages, depending on how the situation develops.

Lately, there have been statements in Western countries, as well as in Ukraine, about a possible Russian invasion of Ukrainian territory. Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov called such information an empty and groundless escalation of tension. Peskov stressed that Russia posed no threat to anyone. At the same time, he did not rule out the possibility of provocations to justify such statements and warned that attempts to resolve the crisis in southeastern Ukraine by force would have the most serious consequences.