Former Austrian chancellor leaves Lukoil job over Ukraine

BERLIN, March 4 (Reuters) – Former Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel is stepping down from his position on the board of Russian energy giant Lukoil, the latest Western politician to distance himself from the Russian state after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

In a statement to Austrian news agency APA on Friday, Schuessel said that he had spent the last days of his two years on the company’s board pushing it to adopt a resolution criticising the invasion, which crossed a red line for him.

“For me, someone who always advocated constructive ties between the European Union and Russia, the warlike attack on Ukraine, the brutal attacks on and bombardment of the civilian population have crossed a red line,” he wrote.

Photo – Wolfgang Schuessel, former Austrian Chancellor. EPA/ROLF VENNENBERND