Austrian Prime Minister to Hold Face-to-Face Talks with Putin on 11th...First Western Leader to Visit Russia Since War Began

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer announced that he will visit Russia and hold a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, becoming the first Western leader to do so since the outbreak of the Ukraine war. Attention is focused on whether this will provide a breakthrough in the peace negotiations, which have effectively collapsed following the discovery of large-scale civilian massacre evidence committed by Russian troops in Bucha, Ukraine.

According to AFP on the 10th (local time), the Austrian Chancellor's office announced that Chancellor Nehammer will visit Moscow on the 11th and hold a face-to-face meeting with President Putin. The Austrian Chancellor's office stated, "This visit has also been communicated to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the German government, and the European Union (EU)."

Chancellor Nehammer also posted on his Twitter account, "I will meet President Putin in Moscow tomorrow," adding, "We are militarily neutral, but our stance on Russia's aggressive war is clear. The war must stop, and humanitarian corridors, ceasefire, and a full investigation into war crimes are necessary."

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, this is the first time a Western leader has met President Putin face-to-face. Austria is an EU member state but has maintained a status of permanent neutrality since World War II and is not a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Austria-style neutrality has also been mentioned in relation to Russia's demand for Ukraine's neutralization in negotiations with Ukraine.

However, Austria has strongly condemned Russia's aggression in this war and has clearly expressed humanitarian and political support for Ukraine. On the 7th, Austria joined other European countries in expelling Russian diplomats, expelling four Russian diplomats from its territory.

Earlier, Chancellor Nehammer visited Kyiv, Ukraine, the previous day, held talks with President Zelensky, and visited Bucha, a small town near Kyiv where evidence of civilian massacres by Russian troops was revealed. During his visit to Bucha, he stated, "Even if the possibility is small, I will do everything I can to achieve peace."