Austrian Chancellor: Putin Neglected Vienna Talks Because of 'Our Principled Position'

This was announced by Federal Chancellor of Austria Christian Stocker in his speech to the National Council, as reported by a Ukrinform correspondent.

“Austria has offered itself as a platform for peace talks. As far as I know, the Russian Federation under President Putin is quite skeptical about this offer, because they are unwilling to admit that even if we can distinguish between the victim and the perpetrator and know who the aggressor is in this conflict, this does not mean that we should be considered a hostile place for negotiations,” he said.

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In his speech, the head of the Austrian government noted that “Russia has launched a brutal, aggressive war against a free country on our continent, violating international norms.”

Stocker stressed that Austria will insist that the distortion of the roles of victim and aggressor is unacceptable, and that peace must be fair and sustainable. He also noted that no one wants peace more than Ukraine.

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“We are ready to offer ourselves as a platform for negotiations at any time and support everything that will lead to this result. We insist that Ukraine should be part of the negotiation process, and the EU should also play its role, as I believe that the European Union and the EU can make a significant contribution to this process,” the Austrian Chancellor added.

As reported by Ukrinform, Austrian Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker previously indicated that today's Russia under Putin's leadership is not a friend or partner, but, on the contrary, poses a threat to the entire region and beyond.