Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to meet Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer on Monday in what will be his first meeting with a European Union leader since he launched his attack on Ukraine on February 24.
Nehammer tweeted that he will meet with Putin in Moscow on Monday, stressing that Austria is militarily neutral but that the war must end and an investigation into alleged war crimes must be conducted.
Nehammer added that he has already contacted key European allies about the trip, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
News of the meeting comes just a day after Nehammer met with Ukrainian officials in Kyiv. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on social media that he and Nehammer had discussed continued sanctions against Russia and the development of a recovery plan and fund.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also paid a surprise visit to Kyiv on Saturday, meeting with Zelenskyy and walking through the battle-torn Ukrainian capital.
After his meeting with the Ukrainian government, Nehammer said Austria understood the suffering of the Ukrainian people and vowed to help alleviate humanitarian suffering.
Both Ukrainian and US officials have claimed that the Battle of Kyiv was won by Ukraine, marking progress in the war.
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However, Ukraine and its allies are preparing for Russia’s next wave of invasions, centered on the eastern Donbass region, parts of which are already controlled by Russian-backed separatists.
After part of Kyiv and surrounding areas were brought back under Ukrainian control, the humanitarian devastation discovered in the Bucha suburb led to accusations of war crimes against Moscow, as well as calls for an investigation into the apparent murder of hundreds of civilians.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba warned Thursday that the Battle of Donbass “will be reminiscent of World War II with large-scale operations, thousands of tanks, armored vehicles, aircraft and artillery.”