Austria surprised over pro-Russian former minister being invited to speak at UN Security Council session

The Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was surprised to learn that Karin Kneissl, the former head of the department and a guest of the Kremlin propaganda channel RT, had been asked to speak as an expert before the UN Security Council.

On Thursday 25 July, at the initiative of Russia, the UN Security Council should convene for a meeting on the supply of arms to Ukraine, in which the Russian Federation wishes to involve Kneissl as a speaker.

"It appears that ‘silly season’ (a term used to characterise a period in the summer when there are usually no major political or social events, thus journalists tend to focus on less significant ones – ed.) reached Russia. Otherwise, it is impossible to explain why a frequent guest on Russia Today and similar programmes appears in the UN Security Council as a so-called ‘expert’," Claudia Turcher, Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman, said in a comment to Ukrinform news agency.

Kneissl is well-known for her pro-Russian beliefs and close ties with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, with whom she danced at her own wedding.

After leaving her role as Austria's Foreign Minister, Kneissl complained about the "witch hunt" and the difficulties she faced when trying to find work at home. Kneissl relocated to France, then to Lebanon, and a few months ago, she landed in Russia to lead a think tank at Saint Petersburg University.

Kneissl began writing for the Russian state-run media outlet RT in 2020. She became a visiting lecturer at Moscow's State Institute of International Relations. Rosneft, the Russian oil behemoth, nominated her to its board of directors in 2021; nevertheless, she resigned in May 2022.