Russian President Vladimir Putin is currently paying a working visit to Austria, where he is going to discuss key issues of the bilateral and international agenda.
Before meetings with Austrian leaders, Putin dismissed suggestions that Russia has any intention of dividing the 28-nation EU.
Putin's sixth official visit to the traditionally neutral Austria marks the 50th anniversary of the start of Soviet gas deliveries to the country.
Unlike many other EU countries, Austria didn't expel Russian diplomats over the alleged poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in Britain earlier this year.
Putin is expected to meet with liberal President Alexander Van der Bellen, Kurz and Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache, whose nationalist Freedom Party entered the government in December as the junior coalition partner. Over the weekend, Strache called for the EU to lift sanctions against Russia.
This is the first foreign visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin after he entered the office on May 7 for the current presidential term, timed to the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the export of domestic gas to Austria.
