Finland pledges support for Ukraine as OSCE chairmanship priority

OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Elina Valtonen, has emphasized that supporting Ukraine will be a key focus of the country’s leadership during its 2025 OSCE chairmanship.

In a statement marking the commencement of Finland’s chairmanship, Valtonen declared that upholding Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence would be central to the nation’s foreign policy agenda within the OSCE framework, Caliber.Az reports citing Russian media.

"Supporting Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence will be a priority of our work abroad and our chairmanship," Valtonen stated, underscoring Finland’s commitment to furthering diplomatic efforts to assist Ukraine amidst its ongoing conflict with Russia.

Finland officially assumed the role of OSCE chair in January 2025, and Valtonen’s remarks reflect the country’s strong stance on the crisis in Ukraine.

However, Russia has criticized Finland’s approach. Alexander Lukashevich, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the OSCE, accused Helsinki of promoting confrontational policies that could lead to a deadlock within the organization. He also expressed concern that Finland’s actions were serving the interests of a select group of states rather than the OSCE as a whole.

By Vafa Guliyeva