(MENAFN- UkrinForm) Any negotiations to end Russia's war against Ukraine should include Ukraine itself and Europe, of which it is a part.
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 stop 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 colleague 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 role 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 European security architecture since its inception.”
“Since there can't be any negotiation on Ukraine without Ukraine, as Ukraine is a vital part of Europe, and since Russian aggression goes beyond Ukraine, there can't be any negotiation on Europe without Europe. The OSCE is effectively the body recognized by its participating states as being responsible for the European 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 cooperate 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 European voice to be heard as well.
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