Schallenberg calls unacceptable calls for Ukraine to cede territories "for sake of peace"
This was stated by Austrian Federal Minister for European and International Affairs Alexander Schallenberg in an interview with Ukrinform.
"It should be remembered that there will be no negotiations on Ukraine without Ukraine. The Ukrainian people must decide for themselves when they are ready for negotiations. In the end, there will be talks with Russia. Because we all want peace. But there can be no peace under diktat. There can be no peace that will be imposed by Russia or anyone else without taking into account the opinion of Ukraine. This is unacceptable," he said.
The Austrian minister also called unacceptable calls for Ukraine to give up part of its territory to achieve peace.
"I believe such calls are completely unnecessary. Let's imagine that we are under attack: South Styria or Burgenland was occupied by a foreign state, there was an attempt to destroy the Austrian federal government or expel it from the country. And then we would be told: "Dear Austrians, why don't you give up part of your territory for the sake of peace?" I consider such calls from the outside unacceptable," Schallenberg said.
He stressed that this is a matter for the Ukrainian people. "They have been attacked and are showing an incredible willingness to fight. It's ironic, but we can say that Putin has contributed more to the unity of Ukrainian society with his attack than anyone else before him. Therefore, such calls from the outside are absolutely absurd. The final decision here should be made by the Ukrainian people," the Austrian Foreign Minister said.
According to him, so far Russia has not shown any real readiness for peace.
"The war is causing enormous damage to Russia. It is isolated and geostrategically much weaker than it was at the beginning of the aggressive war. Putin will have to draw the necessary conclusions from this. However, I do not yet see any willingness on the part of Russia to seriously engage in negotiations. As soon as such a serious readiness appears on the Russian side, we must seize this opportunity. This is important," said Schallenberg.
In his opinion, it is important to engage the countries of the Global South, especially the BRICS countries, more closely in this regard. "On the one hand, it is necessary for security guarantees, and on the other hand, these states potentially have more influence on Moscow. At the same time, none of us knows what really influences Vladimir Putin's thoughts. Even the Chinese partners who want to end the war seem to have only limited influence on him," the Austrian minister said.
As reported, in early July, after visiting Kyiv, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban made unexpected visits to Moscow and Beijing, where he tried to discuss "peace initiatives" to end the war in Ukraine. EU leaders, including European Council President Charles Michel and EU High Representative Josep Borrell, pointed out that the Hungarian prime minister, who currently holds the EU Council presidency, had not been authorised to conduct such a mission and was acting only on his own behalf.
