Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE and Foreign Minister of Finland Elina Valtonen, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism of Malta Ian Borg, and Federal Councillor and Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland Ignazio Cassis - made the following statement:
"Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine is in its fourth year. Russia continues to violate the Helsinki Principles that we have all collectively committed to and are here to protect.
One hundred days ago, the sides were asked to agree to an unconditional ceasefire. Ukraine accepted. Russia did not. Instead, it has intensified its aggression with systematic air attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure across Ukraine.
We urge Russia to immediately end its war of aggression and agree to an unconditional ceasefire, as Ukraine has done. Supporting Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence remains a core priority for the OSCE. We truly admire the courage and resilience of the people in Ukraine and will continue our support.
According to the United Nations, in the first five months of 2025, civilian casualties have increased by nearly 50 percent compared to the same period last year - mostly due to long-range missile and drone attacks. During the last days, we have again been forced to witness an indiscriminate wave of strikes by Russia against civilian targets on Kyiv and several other regions of Ukraine, resulting in death and destruction. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families.
We condemn these and other attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in the strongest possible terms. Indiscriminate attacks are prohibited under international humanitarian law; those directed against civilians may constitute war crimes. There must be no impunity for crimes committed in and against Ukraine, including war crimes and the crime of aggression. Russia must be held responsible for its actions. Victims need to receive justice. The suffering of the people in Ukraine must stop.
Defending the Helsinki Principles, agreed 50 years ago, is more urgent than ever. Europe needs peace to return to our continent. We support all efforts toward a just and lasting peace in Ukraine based on international law, including the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act.
We welcome humanitarian measures such as recent prisoner exchanges as steps on the path toward a just and lasting peace. We reiterate our call on Russia for the return of deported Ukrainian children and the release of all arbitrarily detained civilians. We remain deeply concerned about the three OSCE officials - Vadym Golda, Maksym Petrov, and Dmytro Shabanov - who have been arbitrarily detained by Russia for over three years. We urge all parties to take all necessary measures to secure their immediate release."
