Western Countries Criticize Russia at OSCE Meeting

At the annual meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Malta on Thursday, December 6, Western countries, including the United States, sharply criticized Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, for the war in Ukraine. This meeting, which was supposed to approve agreements on appointing senior officials for European security and human rights institutions, turned into a platform for criticizing Russia for human rights violations and breaches of international norms. Radoslaw Sikorski, the Polish Foreign Minister, addressed the Russian delegation in a harsh tone, stating, 'We are not fooled by your lies. We know you are trying to rebuild the Russian Empire, and we will not allow that.' Andrii Sybiha, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, also stated that Ukraine will continue to fight for its right to exist, adding, 'The Russian war criminal must know that justice will prevail and Ukraine will reclaim its rights.' During Lavrov's speech, representatives from Ukraine, Poland, and other Western countries walked out of the meeting. In response, Lavrov was also absent during U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's speech. This was Lavrov's first visit to an EU member state since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in March 2022. Blinken remarked, 'I regret that Mr. Lavrov left the room. We listened politely to his remarks, but he showed no such respect. Of course, our Russian colleague is very skilled at drowning audiences in a sea of misinformation.' At this meeting, Western powers reiterated their support for Ukraine, while Russia repeated its criticisms of the OSCE, which Lavrov had previously accused of becoming an appendage to NATO and the EU. The meeting of foreign ministers and other officials from the 57 participating countries was influenced by the potential return of Donald Trump to the White House. Some of Trump's advisors have proposed suggestions for ending the war, which include ceding parts of Ukraine to Russia. Meanwhile, an agreement was reached to appoint senior officials of the OSCE, with Fereydoun Sinirlioglu, former Turkish Foreign Minister, elected as the new Secretary-General of the organization. The presidency of the organization for the next year will be handed over to Finland, which will lead the meetings on the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the 'Helsinki Final Act,' which laid the foundation for this organization. According to diplomats, regional tensions, including the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh, have overshadowed the organization's decision-making and blocked its annual budget. In recent years, Russia has also used its veto power to prevent the advancement of decisions within this organization. Britain accused Russia of engaging in 'subversive actions' in Europe. The European Union called for an end to military assistance from the Iranian government to Russia. The largest sanctions package from Britain against Russia's 'shadow fleet' was announced. European countries reached an agreement to strengthen defense cooperation. On the thousandth day of the Ukraine war, Britain emphasized the importance of countering Russian aggression.