During the Ukrainian president's visit in July, Chancellor Christian Stocker already offered Vienna as a possible venue for negotiations. Despite the international arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin, Austria might not even have to arrest him.

Moscow dampened the euphoria on Tuesday that a potentially peace-making meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy was imminent. Lower-level delegations would first have to reach agreements, which the heads of state would then sign at a meeting, it said...