Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz on September 4 condemned Russian aggression in Ukraine’s east.
“I speak not only as Chancellor but also as President of the EU Council, we need a clear reaction to the Russian aggression” in eastern Ukraine, Kurz told reporters after talks with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
“I must note that it makes us very unhappy that the situation remains so tangled,” he added, calling on Russia to “return to the negotiating table”.
“This is the only format that we have so far,” Kurz was quoted as saying.
As reported by the Agence France-Presse (AFP), Germany and France have sought in recent months to revive the stalled peace process in a bid to settle the simmering conflict.
Russia, however, has ruled out any talks following last week’s assassination of east Ukraine’s top rebel, Alexander Zakharchenko.
More than 10,000 people have been killed since the rebel insurgency began in the eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions in April 2014 following Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
Ukraine and its Western allies accuse Russia of funnelling troops and arms across the border, which Moscow denies.
