OSCE says it presented three sets of proposals to Ukraine and Russia and is awaiting feedback

Ignazio Cassis, Swiss Foreign Minister and Chairman-in-Office of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), has said after visits to Ukraine and Russia that, on behalf of the organisation, he had presented three groups of ideas in both capitals and is now awaiting a response.

Cassis said at a press conference that he had presented both countries with three groups of "exactly the same" ideas.

The first concerns a discussion on Europe's security architecture in the context of what he described as a trend from the United States "to withdraw from this responsibility".

The second group concerns how the OSCE can be useful during the peace process and after a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. "We have expertise, we have experience, and of course we know very well that there is a mistrust because of the former experience in the Special Monitoring Mission project some years ago," Cassis said.

The third group of ideas concerns what reforms need to be carried out within the OSCE as an organisation "in order to be more open up to discuss, both to listen to and say something on the others and not to leave just in monologues".

"Both sides were open to discuss these ideas, and we now are waiting for the feedback on these ideas. Of course, we discussed it together, but now they have to think about that to discuss this internally, and then they will give feedback through their missions here in Vienna in order for the organisation to be operational," he said.

Following Cassi's visit to Ukraine, the OSCE said that it had the "tools" to support peace after the cessation of hostilities.

In Moscow, Cassis is set to hold talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.