ADDS MEETING BETWEEN TOP OSCE OFFICIALS AND UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT; REVISES HEADLINE, DECK AND LEDE; EDITS THROUGHOUT
By Burc Eruygur
ISTANBUL (AA) - Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Chairperson-in-Office Ignazio Cassis held talks Monday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv amid a visit to reaffirm the organization’s role as a “platform for dialogue.”
In a statement on the US social media company X’s platform, Cassis said that he and OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioglu, who also took part in the talks, reaffirmed the organization's "firm support for a just and lasting peace based on international law."
"The @OSCE stands ready, should participating States agree and conditions allow, to contribute to monitoring a ceasefire and to supporting the implementation of a negotiated settlement to end the (Russia-Ukraine) war," Cassis added.
The meeting came after Cassis and Sinirlioglu arrived in Ukraine earlier Monday, where they were greeted by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
“I am here to reaffirm the #OSCE’s role as a platform for #dialogue and its readiness to support efforts towards a just and lasting #peace, in line with #InternationalLaw and the Helsinki Principles,” Cassis wrote on X.
Cassis, who is also Switzerland’s foreign minister, later said that he and Sinirlioglu held talks with Sybiha, during which they discussed the situation on the ground, ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the nearly four-year war, and “the role the OSCE can play in the current phase of the war and beyond.”
Separately, Sybiha wrote on X that they also discussed the outcomes and expectations of peace talks in Abu Dhabi and that he informed Cassis and Sinirlioglu about the consequences of Russian strikes.
He further said that he reaffirmed Ukraine’s readiness to develop cooperation with the OSCE and advance "shared priorities" during Switzerland's chairmanship of the organization.
Following the meeting, Zelenskyy said on X: "We discussed diplomacy and expectations for this week’s trilateral meetings of the delegations. We also touched upon possible formats of cooperation between Ukraine and the OSCE."
The Ukrainian president also thanked Switzerland for its support to Kyiv and for "prioritizing a just peace for Ukraine during Switzerland’s OSCE Chairpersonship."
On Saturday, the Swiss foreign minister said during a speech that he would be visiting Kyiv and Moscow but provided no other details.
“For the OSCE, which I have the honor of presiding over this year, Switzerland, under my leadership, has clearly articulated its priorities: The OSCE should refocus on its core tasks – protecting peace and security in Europe.
“To achieve this goal, we all need to be at the table, not just those who share my views. That is why I will soon be visiting Kyiv and Moscow,” Cassis said, according to a transcript published by the Swiss government.
Switzerland assumed the chairmanship of the OSCE this year. The organization’s chairmanship was held in 2025 by Finland.