On June 16, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Vienna, the capital of Austria. This visit was the first for a Ukrainian leader in Austria since the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, as reported by the Heute newspaper.
Together with First Lady Olena Zelenska, the president plans to meet with Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen and his wife Doris Schmidauer.
In addition, Zelensky will hold a working meeting with Chancellor Christian Stocker. During separate talks, the Ukrainian and Austrian delegations will discuss economic cooperation and the reconstruction of Ukraine.
According to the publication, five letters of intent will be signed in the presence of the leaders of the two countries, which relate to cooperation in the field of security, as well as child protection. A joint press conference is planned after that.
According to Der Standard, Austrian Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler intends to offer Zelensky the opportunity to use Austria as a platform for future talks between Ukraine and Russia to end the war.
Ahead of the visit, the head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak, announced numerous international meetings between Zelensky and his team. He emphasized that defense support for Ukraine, sanctions, economic cooperation, and investments in the Ukrainian defense-industrial complex will be among the topics for discussion.