Putin is skeptical about Vienna as platform for peace talks, as he considers it "hostile place" - Austrian Chancellor Stocker
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin does not accept Austria's proposal to become a platform for negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine, as he considers it a "hostile place".
According to Censor.NET, citing Ukrinform, Austrian Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker said this in a speech to the National Council.
"Austria offered itself as a platform for peace talks. As far as I know, the Russian Federation under President Putin is quite skeptical about this proposal, because he does not want to understand that even if we can distinguish between victim and perpetrator and know who was the aggressor in this war, this does not mean that we should be considered a hostile place for negotiations," Stocker said.
He emphasized that "Russia has launched a brutal war of aggression against a free country on our continent, in violation of international law."
According to him, Austria will continue to insist on the inadmissibility of distorting the roles of victim and aggressor, as well as on the need for peace to be just and sustainable. He also emphasized that no one wants peace more than Ukraine itself.
"We are ready to offer ourselves as a place for negotiations at any time and support everything that will lead to such a result. We are sticking to our position: Ukraine should be at the negotiating table, and Europe should also play a role, because I believe that the European Union and Europe can make a significant contribution to this process," Stocker added.
Earlier, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that negotiations with the Kremlin dictator resemble ping-pong, so Ukraine will agree to talk to someone who can represent Russia, including business representatives.
