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Vienna/Brussels (APA) – According to Austria’s liberal Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger, the EU should quickly assemble a team to represent European interests in the negotiations regarding the 28-point plan presented by the USA for ending the Ukraine war in Geneva. She proposed Finnish President Alexander Stubb as a possible head of delegation on Sunday in public broadcasting. Once again, she called for an end to unanimity in EU foreign policy.
The Ukraine plan presented by the USA a few days ago meets Russia’s central demands to a large extent and crosses long-established red lines from Kyiv. European demands are not explicitly considered. Against this backdrop, Meinl-Reisinger described the situation as “very serious,” but that has been the case since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022 and in light of the foreign policy of US President Donald Trump.
Finland currently holding OSCE presidency
Stubb has a good relationship with Trump, Finland borders Russia, and has made a turnaround by abandoning neutrality and joining NATO due to the changed situation in Europe caused by Russia’s war, argued the foreign minister for the 57-year-old president as a top EU negotiator. Furthermore, Finland currently holds the presidency of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), based in Vienna, where Russia is also a member.
As alternatives to Stubb, Meinl-Reisinger mentioned EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Antonio Costa. From the current perspective, only the foreign policy advisors of the so-called E3 countries – France, Germany, and Great Britain – from Europe are sitting at the table in Geneva.
The foreign minister commented on the 28-point plan as follows: Any effort for peace should be welcomed. However, the fact that the USA, as a NATO member, acts as a mediator between Russia and NATO is simply “grotesque” for Meinl-Reisinger. Therefore, the EU should present its own peace plan.
Against “Neutralism”
Meinl-Reisinger also emphasized that Austria, as an EU member, is politically “not neutral” regarding the Ukraine war. Austria is therefore also contributing to conflict resolution. Specifically, she mentioned the repatriation of deported Ukrainian children to Russia.
For the head of the liberal NEOS party, it is clear that there is currently no two-thirds majority in the Austrian Parliament for the abolition of neutrality. Austria’s neutrality excludes joining military alliances and also prohibits “foreign troops on Austrian soil,” she emphasized. However: Neutrality alone does not protect Austria and should not be understood as “neutralism,” where not even the “Ukraine war can be condemned as a violation of international law,” said Meinl-Reisinger in criticism of the right-wing nationalist opposition party FPÖ, which belongs to the “Patriots for Europe” group in the EU Parliament. Furthermore, the majority of the population “clearly recognizes that our security should be organized at the European level.” (23.11.2025)