Austria also declares itself ready to welcome Vladimir Putin for a meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky
In addition to Switzerland, Austria proposed to welcome the Russian president Vladimir Putin, despite the arrest warrant of the International Criminal Court (ICC) targeting him, for a summit with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky.
“If the negotiations take place in Vienna, we will contact the ICC” in order to “Clarify the question” and “Allow President Putin to participate”said Chancellor Christian Storing, in a statement transmitted to the media, recalling “The long tradition” In this area, host of many international organizations (OPEC, AIEA, OSCE, etc.).
The two options might not be to the taste of the Kremlin. Moscow sulks Switzerland, which has decided to inflict the sanctions imposed by the European Union (EU) since the large -scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia, in 2022.
The links have been significantly degraded in recent years between Moscow and Vienna. Thanks to its deck position between the blocks acquired during the Cold War, Austria, a neutral country member of the EU but not NATO, previously maintained good relations with Russia.
The latest bilateral Russian-Ukrainian discussions took place in Istanbul, Turkey, which, despite its belonging to the Atlantic Alliance, is deemed more friendly by Moscow.