Ukraine at OSCE: Lavrov threatened Moldova in Skopje as he did to us in Stockholm

This was stated by Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to international organizations in Vienna, Yevhenii Tsymbaliuk, who spoke at the regular meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council on Thursday.

"Unfortunately, it has become a bad tradition for the Russian minister to misuse the OSCE Ministerial to threaten OSCE participating States. In Stoсkholm it was Ukraine and this time in Skopje – Moldova, which Lavrov warned as ‘the next victim’. Who will be the next? Such a behavior is absolutely unacceptable," Tsymbaliuk said.

He added that the OSCE should “mobilize all its preventive efforts”.

"Because messages delivered in Skopje speak volumes that next year Russia will continue to focus on waging war against Ukraine and undermining the OSCE through the abuse of the rule of consensus. Thus, we should focus our common efforts on how to save Europe from Russia and isolate it within the OSCE," the Ukrainian ambassador emphasized.

According to him, "And as Moscow tries to trap us in endless talks, consultations and discussions, we have to remember about people who have no access to basic services under the Russian occupation, such as health care, if they do not have a Russian passport; about children in the occupation who are military indoctrinated by Russia,” the diplomat said.

The head of the Ukrainian mission also pointed to an increase in the Russian military budget to finance the war against Ukraine by 40% in 2024.

"It is clear, Putin is not interested in peace. He believes that he has enough resources to rebuild his army for a new offensive, to split our unity, and to undermine Ukraine’s internal stability. We have to plan our counteractions respectively to end this war with a just peace based on Ukraine’s peace formula," Tsymbaliuk said.

As reported by Ukrinform, Russia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov stated during the meeting of the OSCE ministerial in Skopje that Moldova could become the “next victim of the hybrid war against Russia unleashed by the West”.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moldova reacted to the statement, calling Lavrov's words out as "part of the hostile actions that Russia has been carrying out against the country for the past 30 years."