Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer intends to tell Russian President Vladimir Putin “the truth” about the war in Ukraine during their face to face meeting in Moscow on Monday, according to a top Austrian official.
Nehammer is set to be the first EU leader to meet with Putin since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in late February.
He visited Kyiv to meet Ukraine’s President Volodymy Zelensky on Saturday.
Speaking ahead of an EU meeting in Luxembourg on Monday, Austria’s Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg told reporters “it makes a difference to be face to face and tell him what the reality is: that this president has de facto lost the war morally.”
It should be in his own interest that someone tells him the truth. I think it is important and we owe it to ourselves if we want to save human lives.
“The reason for the meeting is that we don’t want to miss any opportunity, we must use every chance to end the humanitarian hellish situation in Ukraine … every voice that will help Putin to see the reality outside of the wall of Kremlin is not a lost voice,” Schallenberg added.
Some background: Nehammer’s trip to Moscow is significant given his country’s neutral status, which is enshrined in its constitution.
Austria is not part of NATO and does not supply weapons to Ukraine. It has, however, provided Ukraine with humanitarian aid and helmets and protection vests for civilian use, according to a statement from the Austrian Chancellery.
Nehammer said Saturday that while his country is militarily neutral, “we understand we have to help where injustice and war crimes take place.”
