Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer reported coming away from a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin with “no optimistic impression” after the two had talks at Putin’s residence outside Moscow on Monday. Nehammer also told journalists in Moscow that the Russian military was preparing a fresh offensive in eastern Ukraine, adding that “this battle will be fought with vehemence,” and urging civilians in the contested areas to use humanitarian corridors to escape the fighting. Nehammer was the first EU leader to meet Putin in person since the outbreak of war over six weeks ago, though the m…