After Navalny's death

Schallenberg: Russia has a “murderous regime”

Foreign Minister Alexander Schalenberg (ÖVP)

(Bild: APA/HELMUT FOHRINGER)

After initial diplomatic restraint, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg also resorts to clear words and calls the regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin by its name: "Of course it is a criminal and murderous regime", the Foreign Minister declared on Sunday evening on "ZiB2". 

Schallenberg also clearly assessed the death of regime critic Alexei Navalny in the Siberian prison camp: "It was a killing in installments, quite clearly."

Schallenberg admits diplomatic mistakes
"Looking back, perhaps we were a little naive" in the face of Putin's increasingly restrictive system, in an effort "not to let all channels of dialog fall asleep, not to tear down all bridges" and "perhaps we didn't see the writing on the wall clearly enough", Schallenberg conceded.

Since the war of aggression, there is no longer any doubt; we know exactly what Vladimir Putin and his policies stand for.

Außenminister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP)

"Since the war of aggression, there is no longer any doubt, we know exactly what Vladimir Putin and his policies stand for."

As far as the chances of an end to the war in Ukraine are concerned, Schallenberg is under no illusions: "I believe we need staying power and strategic patience." In Ukraine, "we are dealing with a war of position, unfortunately with the means of the 21st century - and we will continue to see this for many months to come."