German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has accused Russia of playing a “cynical game” as she arrived in Malta for a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
“Just as Russia uses bombs and drones to target peace and security in Europe, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is also taking the axe to the OSCE,” said Baerbock before the start of the two-day OSCE foreign ministers’ meeting, which is being attended by Russia’s Sergei Lavrov.
The OSCE remains a central piece of the puzzle to ensure peace, freedom and security in Europe, Baerbock argued.
“We will not allow Putin to bomb our common peace into dust and ashes, nor will we allow Russia to play its cynical game here without comment,” Baerbock said.
Baerbock rejected the claim that Russia’s isolation was being softened following a telephone conversation between Putin and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
The international community must continue to oppose Russia’s “hybrid war game,” the foreign minister added.
