For the First Time Since the Start of the War: Zelensky Visits Austria

At the end of March 2023, Zelensky addressed the National Council via video link. The event was overshadowed by a boycott by FPÖ parliamentarians. A large part of the SPÖ deputies also stayed away.

The fact that Zelensky is coming to Vienna on Monday was reported by the "Kronen Zeitung" a week ago. However, the visit was not officially confirmed by either the responsible Austrian or Ukrainian authorities.

Zelensky was received with military honors in Vienna on Monday. He is accompanied by his wife Olena Zelenska for the official visit to Vienna. The couple was welcomed shortly after 1:00 PM by Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen and his wife Doris Schmidauer.

A joint press conference of the two heads of state is planned for 3:00 PM. Zelensky also meets with Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP) and representatives from the business sector. Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger (NEOS) picks up Zelensky from the airport. Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler (SPÖ) also meets Zelensky for a working meeting. The SPÖ leader wants to offer him Austria as a location for future peace negotiations. Zelensky's delegation includes several ministers, including Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibyha and Economic Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, as well as the head of the Ukrainian President's Office, Andriy Yermak, and the Governor of Odessa Oleh Kiper. Bilateral Memoranda of Understanding and declarations of intent are to be signed.

Zelensky and Van der Bellen wanted to discuss both privately and together with their delegations the continued support of Ukraine by Austria, the deepening of cooperation in various areas, and the participation of the Austrian economy in the reconstruction of the country after the war, informed the office of the Ukrainian President in a statement on Monday afternoon.

"The heads of state will pay particular attention to issues of humanitarian demining, the renewal of energy infrastructure, as well as food security and the construction of bunkers," it said. There should also be a special focus on the return of those Ukrainian children who have been illegally deported and forcibly transferred by Russia. The continued treatment and rehabilitation and healing process of children should also be discussed.

Summit of the First Ladies

Zelenska, for her part, will participate in a meeting of the First Ladies and Gentlemen on Wednesday at the Hofburg. According to the daily newspaper "Die Presse," Suzanne Innes-Stubb, wife of the Finnish President, Aleš Musar, husband of Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar, and Lucrecia Peinando, the First Lady of Guatemala, have already confirmed their attendance. The host is Doris Schmidauer. The First Ladies and Gentlemen Summit has been held since 2021 on the initiative of Zelenska, in Kyiv and as an online event. Schmidauer delivered a video message at such a meeting in September 2014.

The FPÖ sharply criticized Selenskyj's visit. The Freedom Party submitted an urgent inquiry to Chancellor Stocker in the National Council because the visit coincides with the start of the budget debate in the National Council. "Our population has a right to answers as to why Austria is squandering its foreign policy credibility, burying neutrality, and thus putting its own security at risk," explained FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl.

Selenskyj will not be able to stay long anyway. His office confirmed that he will participate in the G7 summit of the largest Western industrialized nations. The meeting takes place from Sunday to Tuesday in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

Selenskyj: Only Austria, Slovenia, and Cyprus not yet visited

Austria is one of the last EU countries that Selenskyj has not yet visited. Only in Slovenia and Cyprus has the Ukrainian head of state also not been since the beginning of the war. However, Selenska traveled to Slovenia for a working visit. Even in Hungary, Selenskyj has already been: The Ukrainian president participated in the European Political Community (EPC) summit in November 2024 in Budapest at the invitation of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Selenskyj was also a guest in neutral Malta, where he presented his peace formula at a summit.

However, Selenskyj has already met with members of the ÖVP-SPÖ-NEOS government. The first bilateral trip in the office of the Foreign Minister led Meinl-Reisinger to Kyiv in early March, where she was received by Selenskyj, among others. Chancellor Stocker had a one-on-one conversation with Selenskyj. It took place on the sidelines of an EU summit in early March in Brussels. A free sovereign Ukraine is in the interest of Europe and the USA, Stocker explained. Austria has participated in supporting Ukraine within the framework of neutrality and will continue to do so, emphasized the Chancellor.

327 Million Euros in Aid

The NEOS leader, along with former manager Wolfgang Anzengruber, also appointed a Ukraine special coordinator at the end of April. Anzengruber is to support and coordinate the reconstruction. The costs for the reconstruction of Ukraine are estimated at 500 billion euros. The economy is also expected to help. More than 200 Austrian companies are still directly active in Ukraine.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Austria has mobilized around 327 million euros in bilateral state financial and humanitarian aid for Ukraine and its particularly affected neighboring states since the beginning of the war. This is in addition to support from the Austrian federal states, private initiatives, and Austrian companies, as well as further contributions that Ukraine receives through Austria's share of EU support.

Selenskyj spoke to Austria three times

Since the beginning of the war, Selenskyj has addressed Austrian politics and the population three times. At the end of March 2023, Selenskyj spoke to the National Council via video link. He thanked Austria for its help and asked for support in demining. Via screen, he reported that in Ukraine, 174,000 square kilometers, about twice the area of Austria, are contaminated by mines and unexploded ordnance. Selenskyj emphasized to the deputies in the plenary hall that it is important "not to be morally neutral towards evil." The event was overshadowed by a boycott by FPÖ parliamentarians. A large part of the SPÖ deputies also stayed away.

At the end of June 2022, Selenskyj, as part of the 4Gamechangers Festival in the Vienna Marx Halle, thanked those "who understand who is to blame for this war" in a live broadcast. He defended the sanctions against Russia and warned of a "migration tsunami" from Africa. At a solidarity concert in March 2022 on Vienna's Heldenplatz, a pre-recorded video message from Selenskyj was shown.

For Monday, an all-day square closure was imposed on Heldenplatz. The police prohibited entering the restricted zone, which also includes the Volksgarten and extends to Wallnerstraße, from 09:00. The reading rooms of the National Library and the House of History remain closed. At the same time, there was a large police presence. Two rallies took place: a demonstration in "support of Ukraine," which played Ukrainian music loudly in front of the Outer Burgtor. A few dozen protested on the other side of the Ring against Selenskyj's visit.

Square Closure at Vienna's Heldenplatz

For Monday, an all-day square closure was imposed on Heldenplatz. The police prohibited entering the restricted zone, which also includes the Volksgarten and extends to Wallnerstraße, from 09:00. The reading rooms of the National Library and the House of History remain closed. At the same time, there was a large police presence. Two rallies were announced: a demonstration in "support of Ukraine" and one against Selenskyj's visit.

The pollster Peter Hajek does not expect any political upheavals due to the visit. "I do not believe that it would lead to polarization," Hajek said in advance in an APA interview. "The FPÖ will be critical in any case, that is one of their core issues." The government is likely to try to take a "balanced stance" between support and advocating for peace. Hajek also referred to a survey he conducted last year: three-quarters of Austrians supported the fundamental support of Ukraine. Only 19 percent considered this absolutely wrong and were also in favor of lifting the Russia sanctions, according to the expert.

Wolfgang Katzian, the president of ÖGB (Austrian Trade Union Federation) and EGB (European Trade Union Confederation), expressed "serious concern" on the occasion of the visit. He referred to the short-term arrest of the president of the largest Ukrainian trade union federation FPU, Hryhorij Osowyj, at the beginning of April. "The arrest of the president of the largest Ukrainian trade union federation FPU and the confiscation of their building are the preliminary peak of an increasingly repressive line of the Ukrainian government towards independent, democratic trade unions," criticized Katzian on Monday in a statement.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.