The EU must be open to resuming Russian gas imports in the event of a peace deal being brokered to end the war in Ukraine, Austria has said — one of few countries in the bloc to openly float such an option. Brussels “must maintain the option to reassess the situation once the war has ended”, the Austrian energy ministry told the Financial Times.

The European Union should be open to resuming Russian natural gas imports in the future if a peace deal is reached between Russia and Ukraine, an Austrian official said, as Brussels readies a proposal to ban Russian imports.

The Austrian energy ministry believes that the European Union should be open to resuming imports of natural gas from Russia after the end of the Ukraine conflict, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is visiting Austria in his first trip to the European Union member country since Russia's full-scale invasion of his country in 2022

Austria is famously neutral and Vienna has come under heavy criticism since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war for maintaining ties with Moscow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visits Austria on Monday and will be welcomed with military honours by President Alexander Van der Bellen, the government in Vienna said. After talks and a press conference with Van der Bellen,