Chancellor of Austria, Karl NihammerScheduled today (Monday) with the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, In Moscow. Nihamer is the first EU leader to meet with Putin since the Russian invasion of Ukraine
In a statement after the meeting, it was stated that the discussion with Putin was “very direct, open and tough. The meeting was not friendly and difficult”. Nihamer added that his most important message to Putin was that the war in Ukraine must end because “in a war there are only losers on both sides.” A spokesman for the Austrian Chancellor said the meeting took place at Putin’s official residence.
Austrian media said the meeting lasted about 90 minutes. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on the day that talks focused on Ukraine, but the two leaders also discussed exporting Russian gas to Europe. “The main issue was the situation around Ukraine, but on the other hand, there were discussions about gas, because this issue is very, very relevant to the Austrian side,” Mr Peskov said.
Austrian government officials said the meeting was coordinated with EU leaders, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan And with the Chancellor of Germany Olaf Schultz. A German government spokeswoman welcomed his trip to Moscow and said Berlin supported his diplomatic initiative.
Last Saturday, Nihamar met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zlansky in Kiev. A spokesman for the Ukrainian president said at the meeting “a number of important issues were discussed regarding bilateral relations, regarding full support for Ukraine’s future membership in the EU family. We also discussed a strong sanctions policy against Russia and increased sanctions.”