The Russian president will drop by on Saturday afternoon to celebrate the 'political wedding of the year' , the wedding of foreign minister Kneissl and her groom, the businessman Wolfgang Meilinger, in a vineyard in Austria’s picturesque Styria region. President Putin will then fly to Berlin for talks on Saturday evening with German chancellor, Angela Merkel.
Described by the Austrian foreign ministry as a “personal visit”, Putin’s brief appearance at the wedding will be accompanied by the usual security measures for the visit of a foreign state visitor.
Kneissl, an independent, owes her appointment as foreign minister to the populist, anti-immigrant Freedom party (FPÖ), the junior party in Austria’s ruling coalition.
The Eurosceptic and openly pro-Russia party has signed a “cooperation agreement” with Putin’s United Russia party, and Kneissl’s close ties to the Russian leader are raising questions in the EU over where Austria’s loyalties lie. The FPÖ has supported Russia's claim to Crimea and called for the easing of sanctions on Moscow.
Other guests at the wedding will include several members of the Austrian cabinet, including the vice-chancellor, Heinz-Christian Strache. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz was also likely to attend.
