Austrian leader to meet Putin in Moscow in bid to 'build bridges'

Karl Nehammer is hoping to 'do everything possible to make the war stop'

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer during a visit to Bucha, near Kyiv, in Ukraine on April 9. EPA / Austrian Chancellery

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Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday, he said, hoping to help build bridges between Russia and Ukraine and stop the "war of aggression".

Mr Nehammer's meeting would be the first direct encounter between Mr Putin and an EU leader since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, starting a broad western effort to isolate Moscow.

"I'm going to meet Vladimir Putin in Moscow tomorrow," Mr Nehammer wrote on Twitter on Sunday.

"We are militarily neutral, but [have] a clear position on the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.

"It must stop. It needs humanitarian corridors, ceasefire and full investigation of war crimes."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to RIA news agency that Mr Putin would be holding talks with Mr Nehammer on Monday.

The Russian president has been largely shunned by western leaders since the start of the conflict, although he met Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in the Kremlin in early March.

Mr Nehammer's planned trip to Moscow comes after he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Saturday.

Mr Nehammer said that with the visit, he aimed to act as a "bridge builder" between Russia and Ukraine, hoping to "do everything possible to make it stop" and to "ensure that steps are taken in the direction of peace", Austrian news agency APA reported.

But he said that the chances of achieving progress were slim, APA said.

A young woman looks out the window as her train arrives from Pokrovsk, in the east of Ukraine, to Lviv in the country's centre. Getty

A truck carries black bags containing bodies exhumed from a mass grave for investigations in Bucha, in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine. AP

A child uses an air rifle to shoot at a target with the face of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Lviv, Ukraine. Getty

Firefighters try to contain a blaze at a factory after Russian shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Reuters

A woman reads as residents shelter from Russian shelling in a Kharkiv metro station. Reuters

Ukrainian rescuers try to put out the fire at a private building after shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine. EPA

A couple of residents walk past burning shops after a Russian attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine. AP Photo

A destroyed Russian tank on the outskirts of Buzova village in Kyiv draws crowds of curious residents. AFP

The Russian offensive in the Kyiv region has left a huge crater on a bridge in Makariv. AFP

Workers put an Ukrainian flag on a pole in the centre of Makariv. AFP

A Ukrainian mother is comforted by relatives after the body of her son was discovered in a manhole in Buzova village, west of Kyiv. AFP

An injured Ukrainian on a medical evacuation train bound for the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. AFP

A Doctors Without Borders team at work on medical evacuation train. AFP

A damaged building in the southern port city of Mariupol. Reuters

Graves of the victims of the Ukraine-Russia conflict in Mariupol. Reuters

Emergency workers sift through debris of a damaged building in Mariupol. Reuters

The conflict has forced Mariupol residents to wait in line for drinking water. Reuters

A Russian military vehicle in Mariupol. Reuters

Food distribution at a church in the town of Borodyanka, north-west of Kyiv. AP

A visitor is in shock after returning to her church, which had come under Russian attack, in the Kyiv town of Makaro. AP

Mourners gather at the funeral of Ukrainian soldier Andriy Zagornyakon in Kamianka-Buzka. Getty Images

A resident returns with his dog to survey his damaged building in Kharkiv. EPA

A woman and a child are forced to sit on the corridor of a building in Kharkiv that is used as a bomb shelter. EPA

A Ukrainian guard in the eastern town of Barvinkove, during Russia's invasion of its neighbouring country. AFP

Ukrainian guards strengthen their position in the eastern town of Barvinkove. AFP

Emotional farewell at the train station in the eastern Ukrainian city Kramatorsk, which has come under Russian attack. AFP

A Ukrainian serviceman surveys the damaged cultural centre, in the town of Rubizhne, Luhansk region. AFP

A participant at the pro-Ukrainian demonstration outside Downing Street in London. Reuters

Colleagues bid farewell to Yuriy Dadak-Ruf and Taras Kryt, the Ukrainian soldiers killed in Russian shelling of the Luhansk region. Reuters

A villager warms himself in the yard of his house in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv. AP

Vlad, the six-year old Ukrainian who lost his mother during their confinement in a Bucha basement amid the Russian invasion, plays with a friend inside his house. AP

A group of women wait to receive free food in Bucha. AP

Shakhtar Donetsk players carry the Ukrainian flag before their football match against Olympiakos in Piraeus, near Athens. AP

Rescue workers clear the rubble of an apartment building in Borodianka. Getty Images

A man repairs the roof of a house while standing on a ladder, in Andriivka, Ukraine. Getty Images

Valerii, 65, rides by his destroyed apartment building in Borodianka. Getty Images

A Ukrainian woman in Borodianka waits as rescue workers search for her daughter, her son-in-law and her granddaughter among the rubble. Getty Images

Family photos are scattered among the debris of a destroyed apartment tower in Borodianka. Getty Images

A distraught survivor of the attack on Borodianka. Getty Images

Debris of an apartment building in Borodianka. Getty Images

A writing on the gate of a destroyed building in Andriivka - 'Shells, mines?' - points to the threat faced by Ukrainians. Getty Images

Another writing on the fence of a destroyed building, in Andriivka, reads 'People children live here'. Getty Images

A bullet-riddled car near Ozera. Getty Images

Austria has been providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine, and helmets and body armour for civilians, rather than weapons.

Mr Nehammer, a conservative, has been clearly moved by telephone conversations with Mr Zelenskyy and says he wants to show support.

He said on Twitter that he had briefed other "European partners" about his visit to Moscow.

They included European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, "and of course also" Mr Zelenskyy.

There was criticism for his planned visit in some German-language media, and from at least one Ukrainian official.

Sergei Orlov, deputy mayor of the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol, told Germany's Bild that such a visit was unacceptable at the present time.

"The war crimes that Russia is committing right now on Ukrainian soil are still taking place," Mr Orlov said.

"I don't understand how a conversation can be held with Putin at this time, how business can be conducted with him."

Russia has rejected allegations by Ukraine and western countries of war crimes.

It has said it is not attacking civilians during what it calls a "special operation" to demilitarise and "de-Nazify" its neighbour.