Kyiv [Ukraine], December 7: The Ukraine issue has been the most prominent at the annual meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Malta from December 5-6, although the parties still have to formally approve agreements on issues such as personnel positions in the organization. According to Reuters, many Western diplomats have strongly criticized Russia, while Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned of the risk of "hot" tensions.
Harsh attitude
The OSCE meeting, attended by representatives of 57 members including the US, Russia and Ukraine, is the first time Foreign Minister Lavrov has visited an EU country since Russia sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022. At the meeting, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said his country would continue to fight for its right to exist. He stressed that Russia "needs to know that Ukraine will defend that right and that justice will prevail". For his part, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told the Russian delegation that "we are not fooled by your lies", accusing Moscow of wanting to rebuild the Russian empire.
Foreign Ministers Sikorski, Sybiha and several others left the room when it was Lavrov's turn to speak. Lavrov was also absent when US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke. Mr. Blinken accused his Russian counterpart of "being very good at drowning his audience in a tsunami of misinformation."
In his speech, Lavrov compared the current situation to the Cold War and said there was a great risk of it becoming "hot". "We are not attacking anyone. The United States is waging war against us using Ukrainian forces," he accused. In a media interview, he added that Russia's use of Oreshnik missiles in Ukraine demonstrated its "readiness to use any means to prevent strategic defeat by the West". He also said that Russia wanted a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine issue, but Kyiv must abandon its ambitions to join NATO, close Western bases and cancel military exercises with foreign troops. He said Russia wanted normal relations, not nuclear war with the United States, and would evaluate the incoming administration of US President-elect Donald Trump step by step.
Ukraine's position
Regarding the possibility of negotiations on the Ukraine issue, a White House spokesman said that US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Ukrainian President Andriy Yermak's Chief of Staff discussed helping Kyiv have a strong position in future negotiations. During a meeting at the White House on December 5 (local time), Mr. Sullivan pledged to Mr. Yermak about new efforts, including providing weapons to Kyiv and embargoes on Moscow, according to The Guardian . Specifically, the US will send hundreds of additional artillery shells, thousands of rockets and hundreds of armored vehicles to Ukraine before mid-January 2025.
In another move, EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katerina Mathernova on December 5 announced a 25 million euro aid package for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society in the country, aiming to promote Ukraine's EU accession process. The aid package, announced at the Civil Society Development Forum in Kyiv, includes 15 million euros for NGOs in Ukraine over the next three years, in addition to 10 million euros for civil society work, according to The Kyiv Independent . Previously, Ms. Mathernova said that 2030 is a "very realistic" time for Ukraine to join the union.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
