Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Vienna for the First Time Since the Start of the War

Under unprecedented security measures and with the highest military honors, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Austria for his eagerly awaited first official visit since the start of Russia's war of aggression in February 2022. Accompanied by his wife Olena Zelenska, the Ukrainian head of state landed in Vienna shortly after 1 p.m. He was greeted at the airport by Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger before the couple was welcomed by Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen and his wife Doris Schmidauer. The visit was a clear sign of Ukraine's continued diplomatic offensive and an urgent appeal to the international community for continued solidarity, practical support, and joint efforts for a just peace.

Dramatic appeal for abducted children and clear rejection of exchange deals

An emotional and central point of the talks that Zelensky held with Federal President Van der Bellen and later with Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker was the fate of the thousands of Ukrainian children who were forcibly abducted to Russia. Zelensky emphasized unequivocally in the joint press conference with Van der Bellen: “We cannot exchange children; they are not commodities.” He thus clearly rejected any idea of an exchange with Russia. Instead, he raised the possibility of Austria mediating in this highly sensitive issue to ensure that “all children are returned to their homeland, their families, and their culture.”

The Austrian side was extremely receptive to this idea. Foreign Minister Meinl-Reisinger reiterated that Austria would provide concrete support to Ukraine in bringing the children back, not only with humanitarian aid, but also with psychosocial care, educational projects, and the reconstruction of safe infrastructure. A joint communiqué supporting Ukraine in bringing these children back was signed during the visit, underscoring Austria's serious commitment.

Debate on neutrality and calls for tougher sanctions

Another important topic was the question of Ukrainian neutrality in the context of the war. President Zelensky expressed great skepticism on this issue, referring to the painful experiences of 2014: "In 2014, Ukraine was a non-aligned country, and we see how that all ended. It ended in war, with the occupation of the Crimean peninsula and part of eastern Ukraine.“ He emphasized that Ukraine had been ”quasi-neutral“ at the time, lacking sufficient determination and military strength. His message to Moscow was clear: ”We want this war to end, but not after an ultimatum and not at the cost of Ukraine's independence."

Austria. Together, we met with Federal President @vanderbellen and Mrs. Doris Schmidauer in Vienna.

It is important that Austria’s support for Ukraine is expanding: humanitarian demining, the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia, energy and cyber security, joint… pic.twitter.com/wkTqEgjCC5

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 16, 2025

With a view to the G7 summit, which Zelensky was to attend in Canada after his brief visit to Vienna, the Ukrainian president called for increased pressure on Russia through further sanctions, particularly against Russian energy sources such as oil. He expressed confidence regarding further arms deliveries from the US, but emphasized that they were talking about the purchase of weapons, not “new aid.” It is crucial that the alliance between the US and Europe “does not collapse,” because “no one can resist a union between the EU and the US.” Should difficulties arise in this area, Ukraine would have to make a “giant leap in the development of its own military industry,” for which there is not much time left.

Zelensky also addressed the need for greater cooperation from Austrian authorities in extradition efforts. This concerns Ukrainians “who are now hiding in Austria so that they can evade responsibility. This is irresponsible, especially in times of war.” He expressed his hope that Austria would help in this matter and support Ukraine.

Austria's unwavering solidarity: militarily neutral, but not politically

Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen reaffirmed Austria's unequivocal support for Ukraine. He emphasized that Ukrainians are fighting for their freedom because they do not want to be “Russian subjects.” Van der Bellen emphatically stated: “Ukraine is fighting this battle not only for itself but for all of Europe, including us. I thank you for that.” He made it clear that Austria was militarily neutral but not politically neutral and unequivocally condemned Russia as the aggressor. He again called on decision-makers in the Kremlin to end the “illegal war” and enter into “serious, honest negotiations.”

Van der Bellen rejected the question of contradiction with the neutrality of the visit, stating that Austria supports Ukraine in many areas, just not militarily. Even if it wanted to do so, he said, he did not know “what we could do for Ukraine, because we ourselves are busy rebuilding,” referring to Austria's limited military capabilities.

Strengthening sanctions against Russia and Austria’s readiness to act as a mediator were the key topics of my meeting with Federal Chancellor of Austria @_CStocker.

We are grateful to Austria for its support since the very beginning of Russian aggression, for its humanitarian… pic.twitter.com/obJdYP4h5K

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 16, 2025

Chancellor Christian Stocker reaffirmed Austria's position in a media briefing on the occasion of Zelensky's welcome at the Federal Chancellery: "For more than three years now, Russian bombs and missiles have been fired at Ukrainian civilians every day, with Putin and his army not even sparing children. From day one, Austria has stood by Ukraine and its people. Even as a militarily neutral state, we know exactly where we stand in this brutal war of aggression: on the side of justice and not on the side of the supposedly stronger party.“ He emphasized that Austria supports all initiatives that lead to a ceasefire and a ”sustainable, long-term, and just peace."

Reconstruction and economic partnerships: An opportunity for both sides

A central topic of the talks was the reconstruction of Ukraine. Zelensky emphasized that this was already “necessary now.” Federal President Van der Bellen recalled that Austria had been the sixth-largest foreign investor in Ukraine before the war, with around 200 Austrian companies permanently engaged in Ukraine. These companies are ready to play an important role in the reconstruction process with their expertise, innovation, and long-term commitment, particularly in the development of energy infrastructure and in the health sector. This commitment also opens up new economic opportunities for Austria, securing jobs and opening up new markets, emphasized Foreign Minister Meinl-Reisinger. Government coordinator Wolfgang Anzengruber will play an important role in this process.

Economic cooperation was sealed with the signing of a declaration on deepening Ukrainian-Austrian economic cooperation between Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko and Austrian Minister of Economy Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer. This provides for expanded cooperation, increased investment, and support for Ukraine's sustainable economic recovery and development with the participation of Austrian companies.

Comprehensive bilateral agreements and cultural exchange

The visit was accompanied by the signing of five important bilateral memoranda and declarations of intent aimed at deepening cooperation in various key areas:

• A declaration of intent on political cooperation and reconstruction was signed by Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger.
• A joint communiqué on security and the repatriation of Ukrainian children illegally abducted to Russia was also signed by the two foreign ministers.
• A memorandum on cooperation in agriculture was signed by Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Vitalii Koval and Minister of Agriculture Norbert Totschnig.
• A memorandum of understanding between the Odessa Regional Military Administration and the Austrian province of Upper Austria, represented by Oleh Kiper and Governor Thomas Stelzer, provides for cooperation in various fields with a focus on the reconstruction of the Odessa region.
• A memorandum of understanding on the development of interregional and municipal cooperation was signed by Liliia Pashynna, Head of the Office of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President of Ukraine, and Johannes Pressl, President of the Association of Municipalities.

In addition, Austria will continue its participation in the EUAM civilian advisory mission and support Ukraine in particular in investigating war crimes, strengthening the rule of law and the penal system, and in humanitarian demining. Austria also made itself available as a venue for negotiations in connection with Russia's war of aggression.

The role of the First Ladies and the promotion of Ukrainian identity

Parallel to the political meetings, Olena Zelenska completed her own busy schedule. She met with Doris Schmidauer at the Hofburg to discuss support for Ukrainians in Austria and the implementation of accessibility initiatives. Zelenska expressed her gratitude that Austria is now in its fourth year of welcoming Ukrainian youth for recreation and rehabilitation. She visited the U2/U5 Info Center, which showcases the integration of inclusivity into the urban transport infrastructure, as well as a Viennese day center for elderly people and people with disabilities. The aim was to learn from Austria's experience in barrier-free mobility and assisted living.

Together with @ZelenskyyUa we arrived in Austria. We started the visit with a meeting with President @vanderbellen and First Lady Doris Schmidauer. We are grateful to Austria for its continued support of Ukrainians and new opportunities to expand our cooperation. Joint cultural,… pic.twitter.com/NOSHmicJ6x

— Olena Zelenska / Олена Зеленська (@ZelenskaUA) June 16, 2025

A highlight was the launch of the seventh Ukrainian-language audio guide in Austria—and the 103rd worldwide—at the Leopold Museum in Vienna. Selenska emphasized the importance of this project: “At a time when Russia is destroying our museums, promoting the Ukrainian language at World Heritage sites is a form of cultural resistance against Russian aggression – a way to counteract the erasure of our identity.” She also met with members of the Ukrainian community in Vienna and emphasized that the audio guide project also serves to support Ukrainians abroad so that they “never feel like strangers” and can explore new countries and cultures.

Further high-level meetings and protests

In addition to the heads of state, Zelensky also met with Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker, Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler (SPÖ), and other representatives from politics and business. During a working meeting, Babler offered Austria as a potential location for future peace negotiations. Stocker and Zelenskyy discussed diplomatic efforts to end the war and the need to increase pressure on Russia through tougher sanctions.

The visit to Vienna, which served as a brief stopover on Zelenskyy's way to the G7 summit in Canada, was his first to Austria since the start of the war. Austria was one of the last EU countries that Zelenskyy had not yet visited; only Slovenia and Cyprus remained. However, Zelenskyy had already addressed Austrian politicians and the population three times since the start of the war, most recently in March 2023 via video link to the National Council, an event that was partly overshadowed by a boycott by the FPÖ and a large number of SPÖ MPs.

Given the significance of the visit, security measures in Vienna were massive, as reported by ORF. A full-day closure was imposed on Heldenplatz, which also included the Volksgarten. At the same time, however, civil society activities also took place: two rallies were announced – one in “support of Ukraine” and another against Zelensky's visit. The FPÖ criticized the visit in advance because it coincided with the start of the budget debate in the National Council.

Overall, Zelenskyy's visit to Vienna showed that Ukraine remains determined to mobilize international support and increase pressure on Russia despite the immense challenges it faces. Austria reaffirmed its role as an important humanitarian and economic partner committed to justice and freedom in Europe, even if the country's military neutrality sets limits.

Presidential Chancellery of Austria

President of Ukraine

Federal Chancellory of Austria

Austrian MFA

First Ladies and Gentlemen Summit