The head of the Austrian government, the conservative Karl Nehammer, will be the first EU leader to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in person this Monday after he launched an invasion of Ukraine, at a meeting in Moscow with whomever he wants. To promote peace, but also to point out the war crimes of Russia.
Nehammer told the media this week that the initiative came from him and that he had informed the EU (EU) authorities and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whom he visited this Saturday in Kyiv. The chancellor said he was determined to “do everything possible to take steps towards peace,” the APA news agency reported.
While he acknowledged that his chances of success were slim, he emphasized that his position was not one of “doing nothing” but of wanting to act as a “bridge builder”.
The head of the Austrian government stated that he would not be “morally neutral” and that during his meeting with the Russian president he would talk about the “war crimes” in which Russia is accused of Ukraine.
“Everything that can be done must be done to help the people stop the war in Ukraine,” Nehammer said in a meeting with Putin after the first EU leader’s invasion on February 24. Still, he called the trip to Moscow a “risky mission.”
Nehammer explained that he planned this visit during a trip to Ukraine this weekend to, as he put it, support Ukraine, which has been invaded by Russia for six weeks now.
The conservative politician told media in Vienna that he had discussed his visit to Moscow with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Council President Charles Michel and also German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
According to the statement of the Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schalenberg collected by the Russian agency Tass, the talks with the Russian President will be held behind closed doors. The visit involves a “face-to-face meeting in private and without the media.”
Arriving at a meeting with EU counterparts in Luxembourg, Schallenberg told Nehammer that he intended to tell the Russian president the truth about the war in Ukraine, Reuters reports. “It’s different, he was face to face and told what the reality is: that this president lost the de facto war morally. It should be in his interests for someone to tell the truth. I think this is important and it is our responsibility if we want to save a human life. ”
Neutral country
Austria is a member of the European Union, but not of NATO. It declares its status as a neutral country in order not to send weapons in support of Ukraine, but it has strongly condemned the Russian attack, condemned the war crimes committed by its troops and participated in the sanctions imposed by the European Union so far.
He also ousted four Russian diplomats, though it was one of the last EU countries to join the move, which has accelerated in recent days in the Ukrainian city of Bucha after Russian troops were assigned after pictures of the massacre of civilians.
Austria is one of the EU countries that most strongly opposes sanctions against Russian gas, on which its economy is heavily dependent.
Source: El Diario
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
