The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Finland's Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen, completed her first visit to Ukraine as the OSCE's Chair.
In Kyiv, the Chairperson-in-Office Valtonen met with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha. The Minister was accompanied by Catherine Fearon, Director of the Conflict Prevention Centre and Deputy Head of the OSCE Secretariat, and Petr Mareš, Special Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office - Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine.
During the meetings, the Chairperson-in-Office reiterated that support to Ukraine is Finnish Chairpersonship and the OSCE priority and that the Organization remains fully engaged and committed to assisting the government, civil society and people of Ukraine through the OSCE's extensive project portfolio - most prominently through the Extra-budgetary Support Programme for Ukraine (SPU) - as the country continues to face the dire consequences of Russia's war.
"The OSCE remains unwavering in its commitment to support Ukraine, its sovereignty, and its territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. We remain steadfast in addressing the challenges Ukraine continues to face as a result of ongoing Russian aggression," Minister Valtonen said.
During her visit, Chairperson-in-Office Valtonen also met with civil society representatives and SPU staff. Minister Valtonen also underlined the urgency of the release of three OSCE officials - Vadym Golda, Maksym Petrov, and Dmytro Shabanov - detained in Donetsk and Luhansk.
"I express my gratitude to the OSCE staff working with Ukraine for their service and dedication. We strongly condemn the ongoing detention of three OSCE officials in Donetsk and Luhansk, which has lasted for over 1,000 days, and call for their immediate release," she emphasized.
The Chairperson-in-Office also strongly condemned the attack on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia and extended her condolences to the victims' families and relatives.
