Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg currently sees no opportunities for peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, a decision to start which will be made at an appropriate time by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
This was stated by the Head of Austrian diplomacy to journalists in Brussels on Monday
“We must always keep this door open (for peace talks between Ukraine and Russia – Ed.), because, in the end, sustainable peace can be achieved only at the negotiating table. However, I think that time has not yet come… And this should be said by President Zelenskiy when the time is right,” Schallenberg said.
The Austrian Foreign Minister also noted that he does not see it possible to return to the previous status quo in relations with Russia after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“We must admit that geography and history cannot be changed. Therefore, it is obvious that there can be no “cancel culture” towards Russia in the broad sense of the word. But it is also clear that there can be no return to the previous status quo. There can be no silence on the part of Europeans. We are now talking about war crimes, crimes against humanity, and they must be investigated,” he said.
Schallenberg added that Austria fully supports the work of the UN International Commission of Inquiry on violations in Ukraine and the International Criminal Court.
