Pro-Russian lobby is actively working in Austria, Gerashchenko says

A strong pro-Russian lobby is currently working to influence the Austrian government, which is scheduled to lead the OSCE as of Jan. 1, said on Sept. 28 Iryna Gerashchenko, the first deputy speaker of Ukraine’s parliament. Among the lobbyists are former members of the Party of Regions, the pro-Russian party led by former president Viktor Yanukovych, she wrote in a Facebook post. Austrian politicians have emerged that support weakening or removing sanctions, using arguments that they aren’t working, they haven’t stopped the war, and new ways are needed to find peace and agreement with Moscow, she wrote.

Zenon Zawada: We are confident a strong pro-Russian lobby is actively working in all the major capitals of western Europe, as the April Dutch referendum demonstrated. We see 2017 as the turning point for Ukraine in terms of Western support for the sanctions. If reforms in Ukraine don’t accelerate (which we don’t see happening) and the Russian economy doesn’t falter, we see the first European parliaments voting to relax or drop sanctions late in the year. The November U.S. presidential vote will influence the tide of sentiments.