Rebecca Falconer
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer announced he’ll visit Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday.
Why it matters: Nehammer would be the first European leader to meet with Putin in Moscow since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began on Feb. 24.
What they’re saying: “I will meet Vladimir #Putin in Moscow tomorrow,” tweeted Nehammer, who met with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday.
- “We are militarily neutral, but [have] a clear position on the Russian war of aggression against #Ukraine. It has to stop! It needs humanitarian corridors, a ceasefire & full investigation of war crimes.”
- Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed to local media that Putin would be “holding talks with Nehammer” Monday, per Reuters.
The big picture: Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with Putin in Moscow early last month, but most Western leaders have for the most part shunned Russia’s leader, Reuters notes.
Source: axios.com