Poland and Romania to Support Boycott of OSCE Meeting with Russia’s Lavrov

Poland and Romania will join Ukraine in boycotting the upcoming Nov. 30-Dec.1 meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), a lawmaker told Kyiv Post in exclusive comments.

Ukraine and other countries have accused the Kremlin of “destroying the OSCE” and making the organization “hostage to its whims and aggression.”

Russian Foreign Minister Segei Lavrov – whose country initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022 – is set to attend the upcoming 30th OSCE meeting, in Skopje, North Macedonia.

Earlier this week the Baltic countries announced a boycott of the OSCE meeting in response to Lavrov’s invitation and now other countries are following suit.

“Yes, it is 100 percent sure for Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Poland will also not be represented at the ministerial level,” Ukraine’s Mykyta Poturaev, the head of Ukraine’s delegation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE said.

“And also, according to available information, there should be no Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs,” he added.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Oleh Nikolenko wrote on Facebook Wednesday that Russia has been systematically blocking consensus on key issues, such as Estonia’s candidacy for the OSCE chairmanship in 2024.

“In addition, Russia illegally detained three Ukrainians - OSCE representatives, who have been in prisons for over 500 days. Russia has created an existential crisis in the OSCE and turned the organization hostage to its whims and aggression,” he added.

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Will They Deserve to Even be Called “Negotiations”?

Just because two opposing parties arrive at a table does not mean that the ensuing events will necessarily qualify as “negotiations.”

On Nov. 28, following the official refusal of the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry to participate in the OSCE ministerial meeting, his colleagues from the Baltic countries issued a joint statement in support of the protest over the presence of Lavrov.

At the same time, Kyiv has not been critical of North Macedonia for extending an invitation to Russia.

“I want to defend the Macedonians, who have supported Ukraine all year long,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said, in comments reported by Ukrainska Pravda.