Austrian Chancellor: Trump is very emotional when it comes to ending Ukraine conflict

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, in a conversation with US President-elect Donald Trump, suggested that Austria could act as a neutral country for negotiations on Ukraine.

Photo: flickr.com by Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0

Donald Trump

"I suggested Austria as a good place for negotiations as a neutral country," Nehammer said in an interview with the Austrian TV channel Puls24.

According to the Chancellor, his conversation with Trump quickly focused on the Ukrainian conflict.

Answering the question of whether Trump wants to reduce military support for Ukraine, the Chancellor replied that he "had the impression" that Trump "is very emotionally, in a positive sense, thinking about ending the war."

"He is very motivated to silence the guns. I believe he is able to develop a new dynamic again," Nehammer said.

The Austrian Chancellor could not answer whether Trump was expecting Ukraine to cede territory to Russia. He did not discuss such details with Trump during the 30-minute telephone call, the chancellor added.

Trump promised that he would be able to achieve a settlement of the Ukrainian conflict through negotiations. He has repeatedly stated that he would be able to resolve the conflict in Ukraine in one day.

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Karl Nehammer (born 18 October 1972) is an Austrian politician who has been the 29th chancellor of Austria since 2021. A member of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), he previously was Minister of the Interior from 2020 to 2021, general secretary of the ÖVP from 2018 to 2020, as well as a member of the National Council from 2017 to 2020. Nehammer assumed the chancellorship as the successor of Alexander Schallenberg, who resigned to return as Minister of Foreign Affairs.