Austria has rejected U.S. requests for military overflights of its territory since the start of the conflict in the Middle East in line with its policy of neutrality, a defence ministry spokesman said on April 2nd.
According to Colonel Michael Bauer,
There have indeed been requests and they were refused from the outset.
He added that every time a similar request “involves a country at war, it is refused.”
U.S. president Donald Trump has criticised European members of the trans-Atlantic alliance, such as France and Spain, which both refused to allow their airspace to be used for the war against Iran. In mid-March, Switzerland, also invoking its neutrality, said it had refused the use of its airspace.
These sentiments were echoed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who warned that the U.S. would be forced to “reexamine the value” of the relationship once the current conflict concludes.
