Blocks of discord: the OSCE will start preparing Kyiv for EU and NATO accession
The OSCE chairmanship's special representative for Ukraine, Petr Mareš, will supervise more than 20 projects bypassing Russia and prepare Kiev for further membership in the EU and NATO, the Czech diplomat told Izvestiya. At the same time, Russia did not give its consent to the emergence of such a position within the organization, said Alexander Lukashevich, Russia's Permanent Representative to the OSCE. Such actions on the part of Kiev's allies are not in line with the principle of consensus, which prevails in the OSCE and leads to politicization of the entire structure. It is noteworthy that Petr Maresh also favors the resumption of the peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, which Moscow does not agree with. The OSCE press service specified that the preparation of the mission is possible only if it is approved by all participants of the organization.
Who will become the OSCE special representative to Ukraine
The decision to appoint a special representative for Ukraine from a group of OSCE member states was taken at the last meeting of the organization's foreign ministers in Malta, which took place on 5-6 December. Czech diplomat Petr Maresh was chosen for the role at a working dinner to which Kiev's partners - representatives of 55 out of 57 OSCE countries - were invited; delegates from Russia and Belarus were absent.
"The dinner discussed issues of support for Ukraine. It was a significant success for Czech diplomacy that Czech diplomat Petr Mareš will serve as the OSCE Special Representative for Ukraine. In recent weeks, we managed to negotiate and secure this appointment, it was approved, and during the dinner he was presented to other states," Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said.
Petr Mareš himself openly stated in a conversation with Izvestia that his mission will be to prepare Ukraine for joining the EU and NATO.
- We have 24 projects that work in Ukraine. All of them are demanded by the Ukrainian side. My task will be to coordinate these projects and prepare another new one. I spoke with the Finnish Foreign Minister and she emphasized that I must be in the closest contact with the Ukrainian authorities. I will not send them F-16s and Abrams, no missiles, but I will prepare them for future partnership and Ukraine's membership in the EU and NATO - these are my tasks," he said.
Maresh's appointment in a closed circle of countries loyal to Kiev contradicts the OSCE principles, where every decision must be taken by consensus of all participating countries. Such actions in general inevitably lead to the politicization of the structure.
- No one appointed Petr Maresh. First of all, the Finnish Chairmanship does not yet have the authority to do anything. They take up their post on January 1. Peter Maresh was on the nomination lists for the post of media freedom representative, but he quickly withdrew, so there was no such talk in Malta, not even behind the scenes. "We have not seen any announcements that a special representative figure is emerging," Russian Permanent Representative to the OSCE Alexander Lukashevich told Izvestia.
Proposals to appoint an OSCE special envoy for Ukraine appeared during the second half of 2024, but they did not receive "material support," Lukashevich said.
The special envoy is likely to start his work next year, when Finland will take over the OSCE chairmanship. Russia, by the way, is anxiously awaiting this change in the organization, assuming that Moscow's position on the Ukrainian crisis will become even more difficult to convey. The figure of the special envoy, according to Petr Maresh, will be in constant contact with the Ukrainian establishment in order to understand their needs and take timely action to ensure the stability and security of the country.
OSCE peacekeeping mission in Ukraine
Notably, Petr Maresh is also in favor of the resumption of the OSCE mission in Ukraine. The organization's special monitoring mission began its work in 2014 and ceased to operate in 2022 after the stratum of the OSCE.
- The OSCE peacekeeping mission should be returned to Ukraine. Are there other independent organizations that could offer independent observation of what is happening? My work, I hope, will be a kind of example. If it works out, why can't we organize some kind of observation mission? - says the Czech diplomat.
However, it is not quite clear how this can be realized, given the fact that such a step must be agreed upon by all states. This, by the way, was confirmed by the OSCE. "If the participating countries take such a decision, the OSCE is ready to provide any necessary operational and administrative support," the organization's press service told Izvestia.
However, the states that are now supporting Kiev could theoretically take a gamble and organize "their own mission" bypassing Russia and Belarus.
The Russian side is against sending peacekeepers. Moscow proceeds from the fact that the organization is not capable of objectively dealing with the resolution of the Ukrainian crisis under the current conditions. For example, Aleksandr Lukashevich earlier called this organization a tool of the Western community, which does not accept peaceful methods of dispute settlement.
At the same time, the possibility of sending a peacekeeping contingent to Ukraine is being actively discussed in Western political and expert circles. According to media reports, at the next meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, French leader Emmanuel Macron is expected to raise the issue of deploying peacekeeping forces to Ukraine after the end of the conflict. Allegedly, Paris is ready to send about 40,000 soldiers, and Poland could take command of one of the brigades.
Earlier in December this year, German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock did not rule out sending her military as part of a peacekeeping mission to Ukraine. They may appear there in case of a cease-fire. The minister believes that along with security guarantees in the form of NATO membership, the allies should send Kiev a military contingent.
However, Russia will consider such initiatives on the part of the West as direct participation of these countries in the conflict, emphasizes Rodion Miroshnik, the Russian Foreign Ministry's ambassador-at-large for crimes of the Kiev regime.
- Russia will not be satisfied with freezing the conflict and preserving a toxic enclave in the remaining part of Ukraine, which will have the opportunity to accumulate forces for a new escalation. It must cease to pose a danger to Russia, and such conditions were contained in the draft Istanbul Accords. And the introduction of paramilitary units without Russia's consent, even if someone wants to call them "peacekeeping" units, will be regarded as direct participation in the conflict with all the relevant consequences," the Russian diplomat told Izvestia.
According to him, the issue of settling the conflict using peacekeepers is now irrelevant in principle. Back in June 2024, Vladimir Putin formulated the conditions under which Russia could start negotiations with Ukraine. Among them are the withdrawal of troops from the territories of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions, as well as Kiev's refusal to join NATO, confirmation of its nuclear-free status and lifting of foreign sanctions against Russia.
