Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen stated on Wednesday at a joint press conference with United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that his country would be ready to be an intermediate between Russia and Ukraine in their negotiations once their conflict ends.
Van der Bellen said that Austria, as a neutral state, will "do everything," including offering its mediator and diplomatic services, to "achieve a long-term peace." On the same occasion, Guterres remarked he does not believe the peace negotiations are "in the immediate future" but also insisted that "this war will not last forever."
Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered to host a meeting and be a mediator between his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.
