'The world has changed,' — Austrian official signals openness to NATO membership debate after decades of neutrality
Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger expressed in an interview with German media outlet Welt on July 26 willingness to engage in a "national debate" about the country’s potential accession to NATO, citing Europe's evolving security challenges in the wake of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, both current and former Austrian officials have begun to publicly weigh the option of the country's potential NATO membership, despite Austria’s longstanding neutrality since 1955.
Meinl-Reisinger said that "neutrality alone does not protect (Austria)" and emphasized the need for both stronger self-defense capabilities and deeper security partnerships.
"I am very open to having a public debate about the future of Austria's security and defense policy," she said. "Although there are currently no majorities in parliament and in the population for joining NATO, such a debate can still be very fruitful."
Austria has maintained a policy of neutrality since 1955, when it declared permanent non-alignment as part of a deal with the Soviet Union and Western powers to regain full sovereignty after World War II. The country is not a NATO member but has participated in numerous EU-led peace missions and supports the European Union's Common Security and Defense Policy.
Meinl-Reisinger said that neutrality should not be equated with inaction, warning that Austria cannot afford to be naive. "We can't sit back and say: If we don't do anything to anyone, nobody will do anything to us,” she said. "The world has changed."
Following the start of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, Finland and Sweden made historic decisions to apply for NATO membership.
Finland officially became NATO's 31st member in April 2023, during a ceremony at the alliance's Brussels headquarters. Sweden's accession followed in March 2024.
Ukraine applied for fast-track NATO membership in September 2022 after Russia illegally declared the annexation of four Ukrainian oblasts. While Kyiv continues to press its case, there has been no discussion of Ukraine's current accession prospects.
For years, Russia has cited NATO expansion to justify its aggression toward neighbors like Ukraine and Georgia. A permanent ban on Ukraine's entry into NATO remains one of Russia's key maximalist ultimatums in its full-scale war.
