UK at OSCE: No Signs Putin Ready for Peace

This was announced by the UK Permanent Representative to the OSCE, Neil Hland, at the next meeting of the organization’s Permanent Council in Vienna.

He recalled that 22 days had passed since Ukraine expressed its readiness for an immediate 30-day ceasefire, with Russia's consent being the only condition Ukraine had. Instead of taking advantage of this opportunity to establish peace, Russia decided to continue military action, which led to casualties among soldiers and civilians on both sides, the British diplomat noted.

Read also: Moscow spy's attempt to infiltrate OSCE: Finnish chairmanship takes note of investigation

He stressed that just last week Russia used more than a thousand drones to attack Ukrainian cities.

Instead of seriously considering the peace initiative proposed by the United States, President Putin is again resorting to his usual tactics of distraction and stalling, Khland noted, referring to the recent attempt to question the authority of President Zelensky, which was a clear attempt to divert attention from the main problem: Russia's unwillingness to seriously sit down at the negotiating table and commit to a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire.

In this regard, Neil Hland stressed that the UK does not see any signs of serious readiness for peace from Putin. This is confirmed, in particular, by his additional demands regarding the agreement reached between the US and Russia on a ceasefire at sea and a ban on the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea. The UK welcomed this important step, but Russia immediately backtracked and put forward conditions for the agreement – despite Ukraine's good faith commitments, the diplomat noted.

Read also: Car dealership and parking lot damaged in Russian drone attack in Kyiv region

The Kremlin leader's order for the largest military draft since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine did not indicate any willingness to achieve peace, Khland said.

As reported by Ukrinform, the Ukrainian mission to the OSCE earlier stated that Russia continues to attack civilian and energy facilities in Ukraine using missiles, drones and aerial bombs. This underlines the need for real pressure on Moscow to achieve peace.

Photo: UK Government