OSCE Leaders Visit Kyiv for Talks on Peace Efforts and Cooperation Under Swiss Chair

Overview

• Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, serving as OSCE chair, and OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioglu met Andrii Sybiha in Kyiv on Feb. 2.
• The discussions covered the dynamics of peace efforts, outcomes and expectations from the Abu Dhabi consultations, and the current battlefield situation.
• Sybiha outlined Ukraine’s interest in an OSCE role in sustaining a lasting peace in the postwar period consistent with the Helsinki Final Act.
• Ukraine signaled readiness to deepen cooperation with the organization during the Swiss chairmanship with a focus on humanitarian needs and accountability.
• Sybiha cited Russian attacks on civilians and energy infrastructure that cut electricity, heat, and water in subzero temperatures, and he urged the release of OSCE staffers Vadym Holod, Maksym Petrov, and Dmytro Shabanov held by Russia.