Selenskyj in Vienna: Austria as an intermediary for kidnapped children?

Selenskyj in Vienna: Austria as an intermediary for kidnapped children?

Wien, Österreich - What a visit! The Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj came to Vienna on Monday to talk about the return of Ukrainian children kidnapped in Russia. At his meeting with the Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen, the focus was not only on the return of these children, but also the Austrian support for Ukraine in the critical period of war. Selenskyj called the possibility of placement by Austria to return the kidnapped children and emphasized the important role of the country as a neutral actor.

"Austria has already provided us with valuable help," says Selenskyj and refers to the previous humanitarian support of 320 million euros, which has been mobilized since the beginning of the war. Austria is not a NATO member, but sees himself as an active supporter of Ukraine and uses his neutral position to convey in the sense of peace. Van der Bellen confirmed that Austria was not politically neutral, but is firmly behind Ukraine and actively involved a solution.

return kidnapped children in focus

The children who are talking about were all kidnapped to a terrifying extent - over 20,000 cases are documented. The fact that up to 2,000 children, whose location is unknown, has not yet been returned. This emphasized Gudrun Kugler from the ÖVP, which appeals to the problem of the "Russification" of these children and the associated traumatization. The National Council has now approved a motion for a decision to encourage Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg to re -re -improve the children.

A joint meeting of Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger with Selenskyj and the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrij Sybiha illustrated the determination of Austria to support the Ukrainian concerns. A declaration of intent was signed here, the political cooperation and the withdrawal of the children deported by Russia. Meinl-Reisinger assured that Ukraine could count on the support of Austria.

humanitarian aid and reconstruction

In addition to the return of the children, Austria strives to help with coping with war damage in Ukraine. Initiatives for psychosocial support, educational projects and for the restoration of a secure infrastructure are part of the plan. Because it is clear that the need for comprehensive support after the war is great. Help also flows from the federal states, private initiatives and companies in a variety of ways.

This probably also applies to Austria's planned participation in the upcoming encounter conference for Ukraine. Selenskyj's visit to Vienna takes place shortly before his appearance at the G7 summit in Canada, where the support for Ukraine is to be further strengthened. Among the heads of state and government, the pressure on Russia is increased in order to achieve aggression.

It seems that Austria has a good hand when it comes to acting on a diplomatic and humanitarian level. These events once again demonstrate that despite the challenges and crises, the will always remains to help and cooperate. Austria is ready to strengthen its support and to work for the return of the kidnapped children as well as for a peaceful solution to the conflict. You can find out more in the reports of Parlament and vienna.at .