Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen met his Slovakian counterpart Zuzana Caputova in Bratislava today. Among other things, further aid to Ukraine, which was attacked by Russia, was discussed.
According to Van der Bellen, Russian President Vladimir Putin is waging a “colonial war once morest Ukraine”. “We are obliged to help.” Caputova spoke of a defense of values, since Ukraine’s independence had been attacked.
The Russian attack “challenged many things,” said the President. Caputova did not want to comment directly on whether the West is already “at war with Russia”, as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban recently put it. “We stand on the side of aid when the civilian population is threatened.”
Attack on Ukraine for “purely ideological reasons”
Van der Bellen spoke of “quibbles” in this context. Ukraine was attacked for “purely ideological reasons”, said the Federal President. The motto was something like “Submit yourselves or we will kill you”, he formulated. Therefore, Ukraine must be helped in defense.
“Especially now, in view of the terrible war in Ukraine and its economic effects here in Central Europe, it is particularly important to have close exchanges with European partners,” stressed Van der Bellen. It is important “that we stand together in these challenging times, do not let ourselves be divided, speak with one voice”.
Slovakia is an important partner in this regard and also geographically the direct link between Austria and Ukraine. “We exchanged detailed information on the joint aid measures and the sanctions once morest Russia. European solidarity has proven that it works, especially in times of warlike threats.”