Austria’s chancellor, Karl Nehammer, has said he told Vladimir Putin that “all those responsible” for war crimes must be brought to justice and warned that western sanctions would intensify as long as people kept dying in Ukraine.
After becoming the first western leader to hold face-to-face talks with the Russian president since the invasion of Ukraine, Nehammer said his trip to Moscow was not “a visit of friendship” and that the two had had a “direct, open and hard” conversation.
“I mentioned the serious war crimes in Bucha and other locations and stressed that all those responsible have to be brought to justice,” Nehammer said in a statement.
Russian media reported that the meeting, which took place at Putin’s official Novo-Ogaryovo residence just outside Moscow, was behind closed doors at Austria’s request. Speaking before the meeting began, Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said the two would discuss “the situation around Ukraine”, but declined to give further details. Peskov said he could not exclude that gas would be discussed as this was “very, very relevant for the Austrian side”, according to Russia’s Interfax news agency. » | Jennifer Rankin in Brussels | Monday, April 11, 2022
Österreichs Kanzler und sein Blick in Putins Augen: Beim persönlichen Gespräch in Moskau wollte Karl Nehammer den russischen Präsidenten „mit den Schrecken des Krieges konfrontieren“. Doch nach dem Treffen mit Wladimir Putin ist Österreichs Kanzler „eher pessimistisch“. »
