On January 1, the OSCE chairmanship passed to Finland, and accordingly, the country’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen took over the position of OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, the highest political position in the organization. During the official presentation of the priorities of the Finnish chairmanship last week in Vienna, Valtonen emphasized that support for the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Ukraine would be at the heart of Finland’s OSCE chairmanship.
“Ukraine is fighting to defend not only its independence and peaceful future, but also the jointly agreed security order based on international law. As the previous Chairpersonships, Finland will keep support for Ukraine at the heart of the OSCE’s work,” she noted.
Despite her busy schedule on the day of the presentation of the priorities, the new OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen found time for a short conversation with Ukrinform’s own correspondent in Vienna. In the interview, she commented on the “Russia crisis” in the OSCE and Moscow’s attempts to undermine the organization from within, explained whether Russia could be expelled from the organization or held accountable for failing to pay contributions to the budget, and also spoke about the OSCE’s efforts to support Ukraine and the Organization’s possible role in a peaceful settlement.
STANDING BY HELSINKI PRINCIPLES MEANS UNEQUIVOCALLY SUPPORTING UKRAINE
– Madam Minister, I wish you a successful chairmanship of the OSCE this year. However, it is clear that this will not be an easy task, given Finland’s firm stance on condemning Russia’s war against Ukraine and its strong support for Ukraine. Russia will likely do everything possible to undermine your efforts within the Organization and to ensure that Finland’s chairmanship fails. Are you prepared for this? How do you plan to counter the expected Russian obstruction?
– Well, you know, the Finnish chairpersonship will not fail, simply because the Helsinki Final Act, signed almost 50 years ago, still stands. As I often say, if it didn’t exist, we would have to invent it.
I believe it serves as a great example – not just of how Russia is blatantly violating the principles it helped to establish, but also of a vision for the future. This vision remains intact.
We simply have the honor of chairing this year in this esteemed organization. We are committed to running the operations effectively, and finding a just and lasting peace for Ukraine couldn’t be more timely or more of a priority for the OSCE.
– In my opinion, everything Russia is doing in the OSCE now is nothing short of an effort to destroy the Organization from within. For Russia, the OSCE platform serves only as a tool to spread hate speech and justify its aggressive war against Ukraine. Is it not time for decisive action to remove Russia from the Organization? Or, at the very least, to strip it of the ability to disseminate its war propaganda through the OSCE?
– There are very limited tools in the OSCE’s regulatory framework to expel members. However, historically, the OSCE – and the CSCE before it – was never an organization for the like-minded.
I understand how hurtful Russian propaganda is, and I can only imagine how it feels for Ukrainians to hear it. But I have listened to colleagues from many participating states, and the overwhelming support for Ukraine is evident.
Despite the hate speech and propaganda – tools that Russia employs everywhere, not just within the OSCE – we must trust in people’s education and ability to discern the truth.
We stand firmly behind the Helsinki Principles, and standing by those principles means unequivocally supporting Ukraine. This conclusion is shared by most participating states.
– Russia is withholding its contributions to the OSCE budget. Doesn’t this non-payment provide formal grounds for applying restrictive measures against Russia?
– Let’s see what tools we have, not only those available but also their potential application.
What we hope for is a just and lasting peace for Ukraine, ideally this year or as soon as possible. We also hope Russia returns to adhering to international law, including the Helsinki Principles, which it currently violates.
WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO SECURE THE RELEASE OF UKRAINIAN OSCE EMPLOYEES
– Russia has been illegally holding three OSCE staff members as de facto hostages for almost three years. You have already stated that Russia must release them immediately. But how can Moscow be forced to comply?
– It’s been a very long time, and it’s such a tragedy for those three OSCE employees and their families.
During my visit to Kyiv, I had the opportunity to meet some family members. I can only imagine the pain they feel and the frustration of knowing that the organization has limited capacity to act. However, we have been doing everything possible to secure their release, and we haven’t given up.
– Have you been in contact with the Russian side on this issue? What have you received from them?
– The organization has maintained ongoing dialogue with Russia on this issue.
As for myself, I’ve only been in this role for two weeks and have not yet spoken to any Russian counterparts. Furthermore, as Finland’s foreign minister, I do not have any political contact with Russia. Within the OSCE, we will continue our efforts. But rest assured, we are doing our utmost.
– The number of cases of Russian malign activity against OSCE participating states is growing, including in the Baltic region, such as the recent damage to an undersea cable and the challenges associated with the “shadow fleet”. Considering that strengthening the resilience of participating states is among Finland’s priorities, how can the OSCE respond to such actions?
– Building resilience against attacks on critical infrastructure has largely been the task of regional alliances like NATO and the EU, rather than the OSCE.
That said, some of the damages to critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea are still under investigation, and I cannot definitively claim that a state actor is behind all of them or that they were intentional.
Speaking as the Finnish foreign minister, not as the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, I would say, that Russia’s use of the “shadow fleet” is not only a sanctions-related issue, though it is that. Secondly, it poses a significant risk to the marine environment.
Thirdly, this threat affects not just the Baltic Sea but has global implications. It remains a clear hazard to critical infrastructure, whether intentional or not.
For these reasons, we need to join forces to find ways to address and eliminate this threat.
– During the presentation of Finland’s Chairmanship priorities in the OSCE, you said that “Finland will keep support for Ukraine at the center of the OSCE’s work.” Are there any new initiatives or specific actions Finland intends to take to enhance this support within the OSCE framework?
– I know there has been skepticism in Ukraine about the OSCE, and understandably so, given past events and the international community’s failure to stop Russia’s aggression. I feel strong sympathy with that.
I, like the previous Chairs, have prioritized Ukraine during the full-scale invasion. What we are now trying to do, together with Ukraine – I have discussed this with my colleague and President Zelenskyy on several occasions, including during my visit to Kyiv – is determine what we can concretely do now, what we can do when the war ends, and what we can do in the interim.
Our message is clear: we are at your disposal, and we want the demands and directions to come directly from Ukraine and Ukrainians.
The main point I want to convey is that we are engaged, and we want to remain relevant and helpful.
THERE CAN’T BE ANY NEGOTIATION ON UKRAINE WITHOUT UKRAINE
– What role can the OSCE play in potential peace negotiations to stop Russian war and in post-war stabilization efforts?
– The OSCE has been a cornerstone of the European security architecture since its inception.
And since there can’t be any negotiation on Ukraine without Ukraine, as Ukraine is a vital part of Europe, and since Russian aggression goes beyond Ukraine, there can’t be any negotiation on Europe without Europe. The OSCE is effectively the body recognized by its participating states as being responsible for the European security architecture.
– The new President of the United States, Donald Trump, has expressed his intent to actively facilitate the end of Russia’s war against Ukraine. As the OSCE Chair, do you plan to engage with the U.S. President in the search for a peaceful resolution in Ukraine?
– Let’s see what the future brings. However, the United States is a highly valued and significantly contributing participating state in the organization, and I am happy to engage with the new administration, especially on this matter.
Vasyl Korotkyi, Vienna
Photo by OSCE
Source: Elina Valtonen, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Finland’s Foreign Minister
