Austrian Foreign Minister Says Channels For Dialogue With Russia Can't Be Blocked

VIENNA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 07th March, 2023) Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said channels for dialogue with Russia cannot be blocked.

"Let there be no doubt: without any 'ifs' and 'buts' we support Ukraine in its struggle to restore territorial sovereignty and integrity. Russia grossly violates all the fundamental principles of the UN Charter," Schallenberg said in an interview with Austrian newspaper Der Standard.

"But we should not cut off any bridge, any channel of dialogue, and we will also need, when the time comes, sites for talks, such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe," he said.

Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

The West responded by imposing comprehensive sanctions against Moscow while also ramping up its military support for Kiev. Moscow has accused Western governments and media of launching a disinformation campaign regarding the hostilities in Ukraine to promote their own vision of the events, in addition to disseminating Russophobic sentiment in society.

Moscow has also said that Western sanctions against its banking sector and insurance companies have led to massive disruptions in supplies, including of food, fertilizers and energy resources, prompting prices to spike worldwide and putting the food security of many countries at risk.