Today in Vienna, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Austrian leaders to press for broader diplomatic and humanitarian support amid the ongoing war with Russia. Zelenskyy secured commitments for enhanced cooperation in de‑mining, energy resilience, and cybersecurity, with Chancellor Christian Stocker and President Alexander Van der Bellen reiterating Austria’s condemnation of Russian aggression. Notably, Vienna is being proposed as a venue for future Ukraine–Russia peace talks.
At the neighboring G7 summit in Canada, US President Donald Trump unexpectedly weighed in, stating that Russia’s removal from the G8 in 2014 was “a mistake” and asserting that “you wouldn’t have had the war right now if Russia were in,” further claiming the war may have been avoided if he had been president four years ago.
Trump’s remarks come as Zelenskyy is set to meet with him on the summit sidelines to discuss a weapons package. Austrian officials, while emphasizing neutrality in military matters, affirmed political support and humanitarian engagement in Ukraine’s reconstruction and defense needs.Earlier, during his visit to Austria, President Zelenskyy revealed that Russia had proposed exchanging abducted Ukrainian children for Russian POWs, a deal he called “madness” and firmly rejected.
