KYIV, 3 JULY 2025 – A delegation of Ambassadors from OSCE participating States concluded a visit to Kyiv yesterday, reaffirming their steadfast support for Ukraine amid Russia’s ongoing war of aggression. Co-hosted by the Finnish OSCE Chairpersonship and the Special Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office-OSCE Project Coordinator in Ukraine, Ambassador Petr Mareš, this was the first visit of its kind since 2018.
The delegation, which included representatives from Austria, Canada, Czechia, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland and Ukraine, strongly condemned Russia’s continued attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure across Ukraine.
“Our visit to Kyiv underscores our enduring solidarity with Ukraine and its people,” said Vesa Häkkinen, Ambassador of Finland to the OSCE and Chair of the Permanent Council. “We call on Russia to immediately end its war of aggression, agree to an unconditional ceasefire, facilitate the return of deported children, and release arbitrarily detained civilians.”
The Ambassadors called for the immediate release of three OSCE officials — Vadym Golda, Maksym Petrov, and Dmytro Shabanov — who have been arbitrarily detained by Russia for over three years.
The Ambassadors were welcomed by the Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Andrii Sybiha, who expressed his gratitude for the visit during this critical time. “The visit coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, a cornerstone of European security and OSCE principles. Russia’s war of aggression gravely violates the Helsinki principles, including the inviolability of frontiers, territorial integrity, sovereignty, and the prohibition of the use of force. We must restore its strength by achieving a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.”
The Ambassadors reaffirmed their commitment to fully leveraging the OSCE to help achieve this goal, ensure accountability, and help address Ukraine’s urgent needs resulting from Russia’s war of aggression, including through valuable OSCE Extra-Budgetary projects on the ground.
The delegation also met with Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa, Deputy Heads of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Brusylo and Ihor Zhovkva, engaged with key stakeholders on the issue of deported children, reinforced partnerships with civil society, and visited OSCE-supported partners working in areas such as humanitarian demining, environmental recovery, and the protection of journalists and human rights defenders. They also visited a site of Russia’s recent attack on civilian infrastructure in Kyiv and paid tribute to the victims.
