Recent statements by Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg have met with little understanding in Ukraine. Instead of pleading for “a sense of proportion” with Russia, he should visit the recently bombed city of Dnipro.
In Paris on Monday, Schallenberg argued for a sense of proportion with Moscow regarding Russia’s war of aggression. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs then invited Schallenberg to Dnipro City. There he could present his arguments to the relatives of the 44 victims of the Russian rocket attack on a skyscraper, spokesman Oleh Nikolenko said.
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“We appreciate the cooperation with Austria and are grateful for the UN and EU support,” Nikolenko said in a Facebook post on Tuesday. Kyiv invites the “head of Austrian diplomacy” to Ukraine and, in particular, to visit Dnipro.
“There he will have the opportunity to repeat his arguments about prudence to the relatives of 44 people who died as a result of the Russian rocket attack on a tall building. Or to those whose relatives are still under the rubble,” Nikolenko wrote.
Schallenberg’s appeals reinforce “sense of impunity”
The spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine criticized the calls to maintain dialogue with Russia, respect its history and culture. Because these “reinforce the Kremlin’s sense of impunity and are seen only as an invitation to continue the genocide in Ukraine,” Nikolenko said.
According to his spokeswoman, ÖVP Minister Schallenberg urged at a conference of the elite French university Sciences Po in Paris on Monday to maintain a sense of proportion towards Russia and “not to cross the mark, for example, introducing a visa ban for 144 million Russians”. Russia will remain a part of European history and culture. Schallenberg also emphasized Ukraine’s full support in its struggle for sovereignty and territorial integrity.