Austria’s top diplomat sees no readiness for peace talks from Moscow

Austria’s Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg is convinced that the Russian leadership is not serious about a peaceful settlement with Ukraine.

Schallenberg spoke in an interview with the Austrian news agency APA, Ukrinform reports.

"We all know that the war in Ukraine, like any other war, will ultimately be resolved at the negotiating table. And this negotiating table can only have meaning when both sides sit down at it, namely Russia and Ukraine. Does it seem that the Russian side is not very serious about meaningful negotiations? Yes. But I hope it will happen at some point," he said.

According to Schallenberg, China, Brazil, India, and other countries should also be involved in the peace settlement efforts. "We have to engage these states in the process. This is a key moment, because otherwise peace cannot be achieved," he believes.

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The minister says the war in Ukraine demonstrated the need for a complete reorganization of cooperation with the so-called Global South.

"If Russia proceeds to attack a neighboring state in a neo-imperialist spirit, and then explain to other countries that the real aggressor is NATO and the European Union, then this really raises the question: how is this possible? I believe that we should much more actively seek dialogue, and really on equal terms," ​​he added.

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As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria, Alexander Schallenberg, in his speech at the UN General Assembly in New York, stated that a peaceful settlement in Ukraine should be based on the UN Charter and not be imposed by Moscow. At the same time, there can be no negotiations about Ukraine without Ukraine.