Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday was “very direct, open and tough”.
In a statement released by his office after the meeting, Nehammer said his main message to Putin was “that this war must end, because in war both sides can only lose.”
Nehammer was the first European leader to meet Putin in Moscow since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February. The Austrian leader emphasized that Monday’s trip was “not a friendly visit” but his “duty” to exhaust all possibilities to end the violence in Ukraine.
Nehammer’s visit to Moscow followed a trip to kyiv on Saturday, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
In his conversation with Putin, Nehammer said he raised the issue of “serious war crimes” committed by the Russian army in the Ukrainian city of Bucha and others.
“All those responsible will be held accountable,” he added.
Austria is a member of the European Union and has backed sanctions by the 27-nation bloc against Russia, although it has so far opposed cutting off Russian gas deliveries.
The country is militarily neutral and is not a member of NATO.
Associated Press/OnCuba.
