Austria's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alexander Schallenberg, considers it dangerous to talk that Ukraine could cede part of its territory in exchange for peace.
He said this in an interview with Der Standard.
The minister does not see anything wrong with European societies having different opinions on achieving peace in Ukraine.
"The fact that we can discuss freely characterizes 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," Schallenberg said.
He also expressed hope that a situation will arise again where there will be a place for diplomacy.
"But we have yet to wait. 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," Alexander Schallenberg stressed.
The minister also once again defended his position on the impossibility of banning entry to Europe for all Russians, and also 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 brutally violates all the fundamental principles of the UN Charter. But we must not cut all bridges, all channels of dialogue, and when the time comes, we will also need platforms for negotiations, such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe," he said.
