Austrian Foreign Minister Considers Idea of Forcing Ukraine to Cede Territories to Russia Dangerous

Alexander Schallenberg, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria, has considered it dangerous to suggest that Ukraine could cede part of its territory in exchange for peace.

The minister does not see anything wrong with the fact that European societies have different opinions on how to achieve peace in Ukraine.

"The fact that we can discuss freely is what characterises pluralistic democracies and distinguishes us from Vladimir Putin and his system. We must not make the mistake of pretending that only one opinion is allowed," said Schallenberg.

He also expressed hope that a situation in which there would be a place for diplomacy would arise again.

"But we have not got it yet. Russia is looking at the battlefield to make a decision, and it would be very dangerous to say that Ukraine should give up certain parts of its territory for the sake of peace. One thing is absolutely clear to me: there can be no decision regarding Ukraine without Ukraine," Schallenberg said in an interview with Der Standard.

The minister once again defended his position on the impossibility of banning entry to Europe for all Russians and justified the decision to allow the Russian delegation to enter the OSCE meeting.

"Let there be no doubt, we unconditionally support Ukraine in the struggle to restore its territorial sovereignty and integrity. Russia is brutally violating all the fundamental principles of the UN Charter. But we must not burn all our bridges and all channels of dialogue, and we will also need platforms for negotiations when the time is right, such as the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe," he noted.