Try as it might, Europe just can’t dump Russia. President Vladimir Putin was given a warm welcome in Vienna on Tuesday, the 50th anniversary of Austria becoming the first western country to import Soviet gas during the Cold War. It’s a rare visit: The European Union imposed sanctions on Russia over Moscow’s actions in Ukraine in 2014 , and has condemned its connection to the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in the United Kingdom . “It is unusual for any European leader to receive President Putin for a state visit in the capital given the current tensions between Russia and Europe,” said Kristine Berzina, senior fellow at The German Marshall Fund of the United States. But the hostility ends when it comes to energy, as European leaders are well aware that millions of homes would be without heating if Russia turns off the gas taps. Imports from […]