Vienna, July 29: Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer has said that an embargo on Russian gas in the European Union (EU) is "impossible" due to EU countries' heavy dependence on Russian energy. His comments came after a meeting with visiting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Vienna on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to Austrian news agency APA, Nehammer added at a press conference that Germany and Austria's dependence on Russian gas makes an EU embargo "impossible," as the decline of the German economy would also impact Austria and lead to mass unemployment. Joe Biden Announces Ban on All Imports of Russian Gas, Oil And Energy Amid Ukraine Crisis.

On Tuesday, EU member states agreed on a 15-per cent voluntary reduction of natural gas demand from the average of 2017-2021, in preparation for possible supply disruptions this winter.

At the press conference, the Austrian Chancellor also criticized the EU's slowness in establishing a joint energy purchase mechanism. A common energy platform is now more important than ever to avoid competition between EU countries, he said. "We are seeing many announcements by the European Commission but very little implementation," he added.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 29, 2022 09:13 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).