ZURICH, April 10 (Reuters) – Austrian Chancellor Karl Nechamer will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, he said, adding that he hoped to help build bridges between Russia and Ukraine and end the “war of aggression”.
Nehamer’s meeting will be the first face-to-face meeting between Putin and the leader of the European Union since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, sparking widespread Western efforts to isolate Moscow.
“Tomorrow I will meet with Vladimir Putin in Moscow,” Nehamer wrote on Twitter on Sunday.
Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com
I’m registering
“We are militarily neutral, but we have a clear position on Russia’s aggression against #Ukraine,” he wrote, referring to Austria’s position. “He has to stop! It needs humanitarian corridors, a ceasefire and a full investigation into war crimes. “
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to RIA that Putin would hold talks with Nehamer on Monday.
The Russian leader has been largely shunned by Western leaders since the conflict began, although he met with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in the Kremlin in early March. Read more
Nehamer’s planned trip to Moscow comes after he met with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky in Kyiv on Saturday.
Nehamer told reporters that his visit to Moscow aims to act as a “bridge builder” between Russia and Ukraine, hoping “to do everything possible to stop (the war)” and “ensure that take steps towards peace, “the Austrian news agency APA reported.
However, he added that the chances of progress are slim, APA said.
Neutral Austria provides humanitarian aid to Ukraine, as well as helmets and bulletproof vests for civilians, not weapons. Nehamer, a conservative, is apparently excited about the telephone conversations with Zelenski and says he wants to show support.
Nehamer said on Twitter that he had informed other “European partners” about his visit to Moscow, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan “and of course Ukrainian President Zelensky.
There was criticism of his planned visit to some German-language media outlets from at least one Ukrainian official.
Sergei Orlov, deputy mayor of the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol, told Germany’s Bild that such a visit was currently unacceptable.
“The war crimes that Russia is currently committing on Ukrainian soil are still being committed,” Orlov said on a television broadcast. “I do not understand how you can talk to Putin at this time, how you can do business with him.
Russia has denied accusations of war crimes against Ukraine and Western countries. She said she was not targeting civilians during what she called a “special operation” to demilitarize and “denazify” her neighbor.
Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com
I’m registering
Report by Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi Edited by Alex Richardson and Francis Carey
Our standards: Thomson Reuters’ principles of trust.
Add Comment