Germany welcomes Austrian chancellor’s visit to Moscow, contacts with Russia
The German government welcomes Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer’s visit to Moscow and supports direct contacts with the Russian leadership aimed at resolving the conflict in Ukraine, German Deputy Government Spokesperson Christiane Hoffmann said at a briefing on Monday.
“I can confirm that Chancellor Nehammer earlier informed Chancellor Scholz of his plans to visit Moscow. Besides, I can say that we welcome the Austrian chancellor’s initiative aimed at finding direct contact with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin in Moscow,” she said.
“We stand for any kind of diplomatic efforts aimed at ending military activities in Ukraine and creating conditions for talks between Ukraine and Russia,” Hoffmann added.
“The goal of all these efforts is to put an immediate end to hostilities,” she noted. However, Hoffmann avoided answering the question as to whether German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was ready to make a trip to Moscow.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier that Russian President Vladimir Putin would discuss the situation in Ukraine with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer later on Monday. According to Peskov, the meeting will take place behind closed doors at Austria’s initaitive.
TASS
