On 21 October Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Mariana Betsa held a meeting with the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairpersonship-in-Office-OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine, Ambassador Petr Mareš.    

Mariana Betsa drew attention to the intensification of the Russian attacks against Ukrainian civil, energy and critical infrastructure, highlighting the importance of appropriate assistance to Ukraine from international partners, aimed at addressing the consequences of these attacks and protecting the civilians.

In this regard, both sides discussed practical opportunities for the OSCE’s involvement through the Organization's project activities to further address the priority needs of the Government of Ukraine amidst the extremely difficult conditions of the ongoing aggression by the Russian Federation against our state.

Mariana Betsa paid particular attention to the need for the immediate and unconditional release of the three OSCE staff members illegally detained by Russia, as well as to the use of existing OSCE mechanisms to further document Russia’s war crimes and ensure that the aggressor state is held accountable.