OSCE ready to assume responsibilities if Ukraine ceasefire achieved: Chairperson

BRUSSELS

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is prepared to take on clearly defined responsibilities in Ukraine if a ceasefire is reached with Russia, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said Thursday.

Speaking at a press conference in Vienna after the first day of the OSCE Ministerial Council, Valtonen, who currently serves as the organization's Chairperson-in-Office, said the OSCE has been conducting "significant contingency planning" for potential scenarios related to peace efforts in Ukraine.

"We have been doing significant contingency planning as the organization for a possible ceasefire, or even a durable peace deal for Ukraine going forward, and there will be a clearly defined scope of tasks that the OSCE can take as its responsibility if there were a ceasefire. But we are not there yet," she said.

Valtonen stressed that the OSCE stands ready to act, but any mandate would depend on an agreement between Kyiv and Moscow.

Asked about the possibility of an OSCE monitoring mission in Ukraine, Valtonen underlined that uncertainty around ongoing peace negotiations makes detailed planning difficult.

"So far, it has been Russia who has not been ready for a ceasefire, which, for instance, Ukraine has itself declared to be ready," she said, noting that the changing nature of warfare, especially the extensive use of drones, would make monitoring more complex along a contact line exceeding 1,200 kilometers (746 miles).

"The OSCE, of course, is a civilian organization. The OSCE can only operate in person, in areas where security can be guaranteed," she said.

Valtonen also commented on the absence of both the US and Russian foreign ministers at the meeting.

"Foreign ministers are very busy people," she said, adding that both countries still had representation at the gathering.

BRUSSELS

Valtonen stressed that the OSCE stands ready to act, but any mandate would depend on an agreement between Kyiv and Moscow.

Asked about the possibility of an OSCE monitoring mission in Ukraine, Valtonen underlined that uncertainty around ongoing peace negotiations makes detailed planning difficult.

"The OSCE, of course, is a civilian organization. The OSCE can only operate in person, in areas where security can be guaranteed," she said.

Valtonen also commented on the absence of both the US and Russian foreign ministers at the meeting.

"Foreign ministers are very busy people," she said, adding that both countries still had representation at the gathering.