Austria to offer Vienna as venue for Ukraine-Russia peace talks to Zelenskyy

During President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Austria, Vienna is expected to be offered as a potential venue for negotiations to end the war.

Austrian daily newspaper Die Presse stated that this was announced by the press service for Austrian Vice-Chancellor Andreas Babler.

Babler said that the proposal to use Vienna as a possible platform for future talks would be made to Zelenskyy during a working meeting on Monday.

He added that as a neutral country, Austria would be a perfect location for peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine because Vienna, as the seat of the United Nations, has a longstanding tradition in this regard, which should be continued. 

The Vatican was previously discussed as an alternative to Istanbul. However, Moscow rejected this option, citing, among other things, EU sanctions.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he is prepared for a meeting involving the leaders of Ukraine, Russia and the United States in any format.