There can be no negotiations on ending war without Ukraine and Eure – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office

This was stated in an interview with Ukrinform by the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen.

“I know there has been skepticism in Ukraine about the OSCE, and understandably so, given past events and the international community's failure to st Russia's aggression. I feel strong sympathy with that. I, like the previous Chairs, have prioritized Ukraine during the full-scale invasion. What we are now trying to do, together with Ukraine – I have discussed this with my cleague and President Zelensky on several occasions, including during my visit to Kyiv – is determine what we can concretely do now, what we can do when the war ends, and what we can do in the interim,” she said.

She added that the OSCE wants to be useful to Ukraine.

“Our message is clear: we are at your disposal, and we want the demands and directions to come directly from Ukraine and Ukrainians. The main point I want to convey is that we are engaged, and we want to remain relevant and helpful,” the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office emphasized.

Commenting on the re of the OSCE in potential peace talks to end Russian aggression and beyond, Ms. Valtonen pointed out that “the OSCE has been a cornerstone of the Eurean security architecture since its inception.”

“Since there can’t be any negotiation on Ukraine without Ukraine, as Ukraine is a vital part of Eure, and since Russian aggression goes beyond Ukraine, there can’t be any negotiation on Eure without Eure. The OSCE is effectively the body recognized by its participating states as being responsible for the Eurean security architecture,” she said.

Read also: Freezing conflict would put Ukraine in weak position before negotiations – Zelensky

Separately, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office indicated her readiness to coerate with the US administration on this issue.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, President Zelensky, speaking about the format of the upcoming talks, said that he would like the Eurean voice to be heard as well.