Stopping forces: Russia demands curtailment of OSCE programs in Ukraine
OSCE projects to support Ukraine should be stopped, Dmitry Polyansky, Russia's permanent representative to the organization, told Izvestia. According to the diplomat, Switzerland has extended the mandate of the OSCE Chairman's Special Representative for Ukraine, Petr Maresh, for a year, his main task is the integration of Kiev into the EU and NATO. Experts note that under the guise of OSCE projects, NATO countries can prepare military operations in Ukraine. At the same time, the potential for dialogue between Russia and Europe on this platform exists only if it returns to neutrality. What role the organization can play in the Ukrainian settlement is described in the Izvestia article.
What OSCE programs are operating in Ukraine
Moscow insists on the termination of OSCE projects to support Ukraine, Dmitry Polyansky, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the organization, told Izvestia.
— Russia has consistently advocated the curtailment of such "programs" that discredit the OSCE and do not reflect its basic objectives. Now this is one of the elements of abuse by Western countries of the organization's tools," the diplomat stressed.
Until 2022, the OSCE field presence and the Project Coordinator officially operated in Ukraine, but after 2014 its activities discredited themselves. The coordinator ignored the facts of massive violations of OSCE commitments, human rights and the rule of law, which were inconvenient for Kiev. With the beginning of the special operation, at the request of Russia, this structure was officially closed.
"However, in an effort to maintain a presence in Ukraine under the guise of the OSCE, Western countries in November 2022 launched a non-consensual extra-budgetary "Ukraine support program" under the auspices of the OSCE secretariat, de facto copying all the failed projects of the closed office of the OSCE Project Coordinator in Ukraine," Polyansky said.
Since the beginning of 2025, this program has been headed by Czech diplomat Petr Maresh. The Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the OSCE noted that the Swiss chairmanship extended Maresh's powers for 2026. At the same time, the official does not hide the focus of the programs he oversees on promoting reforms in Ukraine in line with integration into the EU and NATO. By the way, his position is not included in the structure of the official decision-making bodies of the OSCE and is funded from extra-budgetary sources.
— This special representative fulfills the political order of those states that have become donors of the extra-budgetary "Ukraine support program". His activities do not require consensus approval from all OSCE participating states, and he does not report to OSCE decision—making bodies," Dmitry Polyansky added.
It is important that these OSCE programs operate directly on Ukrainian territory and supply the Ukrainian Armed Forces. According to the latest information, in January, under the leadership of Maresh, Ukraine was provided with equipment for chemical and radiological reconnaissance. And last year, Ukrainian border guards received protective equipment along the same line for operations in conditions of the use of chemical weapons.
Natalia Eremina, a professor at St. Petersburg State University, told Izvestia that under the guise of OSCE projects, NATO countries can prepare military operations in Ukraine. In particular, the deployment of troops of the "coalition of the willing", which is being promoted by London and Paris, can be carried out precisely under the auspices of this organization.
— This is a way for NATO to strengthen itself on Ukrainian territory in order to continue anti-Russian activities, and not to stabilize the situation. This is also understandable given the rhetoric of Western leaders, as it is emphatically anti—Russian and even Russophobic," the expert noted.
OSCE projects in Ukraine are directly aimed at bringing Ukrainian troops and command structures up to NATO standards. Thus, the organization conducts staff training on protocols that are compatible with the procedures of the North Atlantic Alliance. According to Yeremina, such programs are a bait for Ukraine, one of the steps on the way to NATO membership.
Can the OSCE become a platform for dialogue between Russia and Europe
On January 1, Switzerland became the OSCE chairman, after which the organization began to claim a role in resolving the Ukrainian crisis. In February, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis and OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioglu visited Moscow and Kiev. In Russia, they met with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
"It seems to us that the Swiss presidency and the Secretary General have an understanding of the depth of the crisis and a desire to try to overcome the current situation," Lavrov said at a press conference following the talks.
Cooperation between Russia and the OSCE leadership has now become permanent, Dmitry Polyansky emphasized.
— The dialogue is now conducted through our permanent mission on an ongoing basis. We are not yet aware of plans for new visits," the Russian Permanent Representative to the OSCE said.
Izvestia sent inquiries to the OSCE secretariat and the Swiss Foreign Ministry.
On February 17-18, Geneva hosted the next round of negotiations in the format of the Russian Federation, the United States, and Ukraine. It is possible that the next meeting will be held in Switzerland, as the conflict in the Middle East makes negotiations in the UAE less likely.
Ignazio Cassis said earlier that the OSCE had developed a plan to monitor the observance of the ceasefire regime between Russia and Ukraine. Representatives of the Russian Federation then noted that they had not received any information about this. According to Polyansky, there are no prospects for the organization's participation in monitoring in Ukraine, especially given the experience of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) in Ukraine.
The SMM operated in Ukraine from 2014 to 2022. Its purpose was to collect information and establish facts about specific incidents and events on the ground. Moscow has repeatedly claimed that the mission's leadership has actually played along with Kiev all these years, not fully informing the world community about violations of the ceasefire by the Ukrainian security forces. With the beginning of its mandate, the mission expired and its activities were terminated.
Against the background of the active negotiation efforts of the United States, Europe found itself in the role of an observer in the peace process. Therefore, there is a growing understanding in the EU of the interest in dialogue with the Russian Federation: French President Emmanuel Macron spoke about the need to launch a direct communication channel. In this regard, the OSCE as a regional organization looks like a very promising platform, Dmitry Polyansky emphasized earlier.
However, for this to happen, the organization must "come out of its coma," as Russian officials have repeatedly said. Moscow has consistently stated that the OSCE agenda is limited by Western countries solely to the conflict in Ukraine, ignoring other security dimensions.
The OSCE can become a platform for a broad dialogue if the organization returns to true neutrality and takes into account the opinions of all parties. Vladimir Shapovalov, Deputy Director of the Institute of History and Politics at Moscow State University, told Izvestia that the OSCE had lost its original security function and had become a resource for actively promoting Western narratives and organizing information attacks against Russia. Therefore, now its role as a space for dialogue on Ukraine is still unlikely.
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