There is one more small margin of opportunity for negotiations between Russia and Ukraineaccording to Austrian Chancellor Carl Nehamerwho met with the leaders of both countries recently in the middle of Russian invasion in Ukraine, but noted that the conflict is likely to worsen before the two countries can get there.
“Both are in a state of war,” Nehamer said in an interview with dpa and APA news agencies. “However, they both know that this must end at some point,” he told the German and Austrian news agencies.
But, he continued, he is afraid that there will be first escalation in battles in the eastern Donbass region of Ukraine. “Both sides are preparing for a very intense and, from a human point of view, catastrophic battle.”
Nehamer visited Kyiv on Saturday to meet with him Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. She then traveled to Moscow on Monday to meet with him Russian President Vladimir Putin. He was the first head of government to meet with Putin since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Both meetings focused on talks between the two countries to reach a ceasefire. However, despite any optimism about the negotiations, they are not enough to stop the upcoming battle for Donbasswhich is already partly controlled by Russian-speaking separatists and has been almost autonomously governed by Ukraine since 2014.
However, Nehamer noted that this shows that not all doors are closed at one end after negotiation.
“The big question will be: Is an end to this war possible that will save the prestige of both sides?” The Austrian chancellor asked, speaking to the dpa and the APA.
Nehamer noted that the latest EU sanctions on exports of electronic defense systems will weaken Russia’s military power in the medium term. “That is why they will not immediately contribute to Putin’s end to the war,” he said.
However, he added, the Russian president is aware that the war is causing economic damage to his country. According to Nehamer, Putin said, “I know,” when he pointed it out to him.
His subject Europe’s gas supply from Russia was also a focal point of their talks. Nehamer said the supply was anything but safe, regardless of the sanctions regime. This is because there is always the risk of pipelines being blown up or somehow damaged in the middle of the war.
“There is always a risk of this happening, even if Austria and Germany and others speak out against a gas embargo,” he said.
Many EU countries want to stop the Russian gas market to punish Moscow for the invasion. However, countries such as Austria and Germany say this will hurt them more than Russia. However, Ukraine notes that any money spent on Russian gas only helps to finance its war effort.
However, Nehamer pointed out that Putin assures him that Europe’s gas supply is guaranteedthat the flow of agreed quantities will continue and that payments can still be made in euros.
Putin has caused concern in the rest of Europe in recent weeks by demanding that payments be made in rubles, which many saw as an attempt to strengthen the Russian currency, which has been hit by Western sanctions.
The issue of its continuation neutrality of Austria was also touched during the Ukrainian part of his tour. Like Finland and Sweden, Austria has chosen to stay out of NATO for decades. However, the Russian invasion made the two Nordic countries think of a change of policy.
Nehamer nevertheless noted that he had told the Ukrainians that Austria had no plans to abandon its neutrality at this time. Although not a NATO member, Austria maintains its own armed forces.
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