Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer is going to become the first European leader to visit Moscow to tell Russian President Vladimir Putin the truth about Ukraine’s invasion.
Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said, “It makes a difference to be face to face and tell him what the reality is: that this president has de facto lost the war morally.”
“It should be in his own interest that someone tells him the truth. I think it is important and we owe it to ourselves if we want to save human lives.”
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Nehammer is expected to raise alleged Russian war crimes in devastated areas including the town of Bucha.
Following contacts with the leaders of Turkey, Germany, and the European Union, Nehammer met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Saturday.
Kyiv is preparing for a huge Russian offensive in the country’s east. Zelensky said Russian troops are now turning their focus to the Donbas region in the east.
“They can use even more missiles against us… But we are preparing for their actions. We will answer,” Zelensky said.
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Lugansk governor Sergiy Gaiday said, “The battle for Donbas will last several days, but during these days our cities may be completely destroyed.”
“There is no surviving critical or any other infrastructure in our area,” he said in a Telegram message.
“Therefore, every shelling of the housing stock is a deliberate terrorist attack.”
According to the latest satellite pictures, a large Russian military column can be seen moving toward Kharkiv.
The pictures show Russian military convoy consisting of armoured vehicles and trucks along with artillery and support equipment moving south through the Ukrainian town of Velykyi Burluk.
(With inputs from agencies)
