Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) caused a stir on Wednesday with sharp words towards Moscow. Russia will not get away with this crime, the diplomat promised, referring to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
According to a broadcast by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Schallenberg virtually participated in a summit meeting of the Crimean platform. According to the text of the speech, he is said to have announced there: “We will not let Russia get away with this crime. Austria is leading the way in establishing a special tribunal.”
At Wednesday’s rally, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed to expel Russian troops from his country, including the Crimean peninsula, which was illegally annexed in 2014. “Crimea will be liberated, like all other parts of Ukraine, which, unfortunately, are still under the rule of the occupiers.”
Integration of Crimea as ‘root of evil’
The February 24, 2022 invasion of Ukraine was not Russia’s first violation of international law; According to Schallenberg, “the roots of this evil” go back to the illegal annexation of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. “But the aim has remained the same: to redraw international borders in flagrant violation of the UN Charter.” For 546 days, the Ukrainians “provoked valiant resistance to Russian brutality.”
“We are not involved in the supply of war material, I have actually made that clear from day one,” Schallenberg said Wednesday afternoon in the Ö1 summer interview when asked what he thought of the supply of F16 fighter jets to Ukraine. He was “good” that “we support Ukraine in its legitimate struggle for territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Schallenberg said in an interview with ORF radio.
Serious human rights violations
Thursday – Ukraine’s Independence Day – marks the 18th anniversary that “Russia broke the peace on our continent with its brutal attack on Ukraine, a sovereign and independent neighbor”. “We will not forget Crimea and the city of Sevastopol either,” Schallenberg stressed. That is why Vienna continues to insist on “the serious violations of human rights, especially against the Crimean Tatars, the continued militarization of Crimea and its consequences for the security of the country.” the Black Sea region, including food exports, will suffice. “Crimea belongs to Ukraine!” said the Foreign Minister.
Crimea platform
The Crimean Platform is an initiative of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which works to restore Ukraine’s full sovereignty over Crimea in accordance with international law. The platform has existed since August 2021 and Austria has supported the initiative from the start. At the founding meeting in August 2021, Schallenberg was personally in Kiev. In addition to Schallenberg, Selenskyj and Schallenberg’s counterpart Dmytro Kuleba also attended the summit.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
