Austria's Chancellor Karl Nehammer has pointed out the alleged Russian atrocities in Ukraine during his meeting with Vladimir Putin.
This was the first sit-down a Western leader has had with the Russian President since he launched his invasion in February.
"This is not a friendly visit. I have just come from Ukraine and have seen with my own eyes the immeasurable suffering caused by the Russian war of aggression," Nehammer was quoted as saying in a statement issued by his office after the meeting outside Moscow.
Nehammer is the first European leader to meet Putin face-to-face since his invasion of Ukraine. His visit divided opinion among EU leaders, with some expressing skepticism about engaging with the Russian leader.
The pair spoke for about 75 minutes at Putin's Novo-Ogaryovo residence near Moscow, Nehammer's spokesperson said, in talks the Austrian leader described as "very direct, open and tough."
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Before visiting Russia, Nehammer met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv and visited the town of Bucha, where bodies of unarmed civilians were found strewn across public streets after a month of Russian occupation.
''I addressed the serious war crimes in Bucha and other places and emphasized that all those responsible for them must be held accountable," Nehammer said, according to the statement. "I also told President Putin in no uncertain terms that sanctions against Russia will remain in place and will continue to be tightened as long as people are dying in Ukraine."
The Austrian leader said Putin had blamed the Ukrainians for "being responsible for the crimes in Bucha." Video footage, however, shows Russian forces gunning down a civilian there.
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