The Russian ambassador will be summoned to the Austrian Foreign Ministry on Monday. The head of the department, Schallenberg, also criticized the statements of the Russian ambassador in an interview with an Austrian publication.
Austria does not exclude the expulsion of Russian diplomats, said in interview channel OE24 Foreign Minister Alexander Shallenberg.
He also said that the Russian ambassador to Austria, Dmitry Lyubinsky, would be summoned to the Foreign Ministry on Monday.
During the conversation, Schallenberg criticized interview Lyubinsky, which he gave to the Austrian edition of Profil on April 2. In an interview, the Russian ambassador stated that Russia’s military operation in Ukraine began after Moscow received information about an impending attack by Ukrainian troops on the Donbass “with grave consequences for the civilian population.” He also stated that by conducting the operation, Russia “realizes the right of the allies to self-defense”, referring to the forces of the DNR and LNR. He also stated that only military installations are subjected to strikes.
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Commenting on Lubinsky’s interview, Schallenberg called his words a mockery. “We will tell the ambassador very clearly what we think about this,” the head of the Austrian Foreign Ministry added.