Ukrainian Foreign Minister Suggests Banishing Russia from OSCE to Save Organisation

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has proposed expelling Russia from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) "if we want to save the OSCE".

"Moscow has effectively taken the OSCE hostage, manipulating the principle of consensus and thus destroying the organisation from the inside," Kuleba said at a press conference with OSCE Head Bujar Osmani in Kyiv on Monday.

Kuleba said that Russia seeks to sow chaos and destabilisation. He called Russia the biggest threat to security and cooperation in Europe.

"Today, I reiterated my position that if we want to save the OSCE, save security and cooperation in Europe, we must push Russia out of the OSCE and out of Europe. It will be better for everyone," Kuleba emphasised. 

He highlighted that Russia is now "killing" the OSCE and added that he could "easily imagine" this organisation without Russia.

On the morning of 16 October, North Macedonian Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Bujar Osmani arrived in Kyiv. 

Osmani noted that he had started his country's 2023 OSCE chairmanship with a trip to Ukraine and had now decided to come back again at the end of the year.