Though Austria is a member of the European Union, its far-right party leading the polls has strong links with Russian President Vladimir Putin — the bloc’s arch nemesis. The chairman and top candidate of the Freedom Party of Austria Herbert Kickl waves to supporters after kicking off his party's electoral campaign on September 7, 2024 in Graz, Austria. Kickl’s vision is to build “Fortress Austria” and “Fortress Europe,” as he put it during a debate on Austrian public television Thursday night. In 2016, party leader Heinz-Christian Strache signed a formal “cooperation pact” with Putin’s United Russia party. The FPÖ’s return is far from certain, currently polling at 27%, narrowly ahead of the ruling Austrian People’s Party on 25% and the Social Democratic Party of Austria on 21%, according to European polling aggregator PolitPro.

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Persons: that’s, Adolf Hitler —, it’s, Vladimir Putin —, Peter Filzmaier, Kerms, Herbert Kickl, ”, Hitler, Kickl, Freedom Party of Austria Herbert Kickl, Alex Halada, Nazi ”, “, Karl Nehammer, Andreas Babler, Joe Klamar, Gabriela Bacher, Donald Trump, Heinz, Christian Strache, Karin Kneissl, Putin, Strache, Victor Orban, Bacher Organizations: Freedom Party, NATO, Ukraine, Moscow, European Union, Gratz, Freedom Party of Austria, Getty, Immigrants, “, Austrian, Nazi, Austrian People’s Party, Social Democratic Party, NBC, Trump, NBC News, Putin’s United, Social Democratic Party of Austria Locations: Austria, Russia, Europe, Graz, AFP, East, North Africa, Jerusalem, Austrian, Vienna, American, Austrian Republic, Ukraine, Putin’s United Russia, Russian, Moscow, Slovakia, Hungary, Republic