Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mikhail Svetlov / Getty Image
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Austrian Chancellor Karl Nechamer was the first EU leader to meet with Putin since the invasion.
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Nehammer told NBC’s Meet the Press that the conversation was “frank and difficult”.
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He also said Putin was “in his own military logic” and said Russia was winning the war.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nechamer said Russian President Vladimir Putin was quite confident in his military campaign in Ukraine, even after Russian forces withdrew from part of the country after weeks of stagnation.
Nehamer became the first European Union leader to meet with Putin on Monday after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24th. In an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press on Saturday, Nehamer said the conversation with Putin was not “friendly” but “frank and firm.”
“I think he is now in his own military logic. He believes the war is necessary to ensure the security of the Russian Federation. He does not trust the international community. He accuses Ukrainians of genocide in the Donbass region.
Asked by host Chuck Todd if Putin thought he was winning the war, Nehamer said he thought “he believes he is winning the war.”
Nehamer said earlier this week that he was “not very optimistic after my talks with Putin.”
“I have made it clear to Mr Putin, his attitude, his point of view is not shared by anyone,” Nehamer said during a press briefing in Moscow. “He sees it as a kind of self-defense operation of the Russian Federation. He calls it special military operations. I call it war.
Russian forces withdrew from areas around Kyiv earlier this month after failing to capture the Ukrainian capital and struck again this week after the warship Moscow was hit by a Ukrainian missile and sank.
Russian troops are regrouping for what is expected to be a new offensive in the Eastern Donbass region.
Read the original article in Business Insider
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