Beate Meinl-Reisinger meets UK Foreign Secretary in London

Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger met with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband in London to coordinate cooperation ahead of Austria’s upcoming term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. The discussions focused on support for Ukraine, the threat of hybrid attacks from Russia, and the necessity of strengthening multilateralism and the role of the United Nations.

Meinl-Reisinger expressed a desire for closer cooperation with the United Kingdom to combat Russian propaganda and foreign interference. She noted that a recent analysis of social media responses to Austrian officials revealed a high volume of Kremlin-aligned narratives. Additionally, she highlighted the need to institutionalize cooperation with West Balkan countries to counter influence from Russia and China.

Regarding direct engagement with Moscow, the Foreign Minister stated she would not travel to Russia to meet with Sergey Lavrov, maintaining a clear stance against the current Russian administration. She expressed hope for meeting the Russian diplomat instead within a multilateral forum, such as an OSCE meeting.