Odessa and OSCE

Odessa in Southern Ukraine is a very symbolic city. It means a lot for many people in that part of the world. It has a very rich history as well.

Today´s events, which led to many deaths of civilians on the pro-Russian side, could therefore be a turning point in the national crisis Ukraine is engulfed. They could give way to a serious escalation of the confrontations.

They are certainly an important development. But they cannot justify any armed intervention from outside the country. They call though for a deeper political involvement of OSCE.

The way forward is not very easy. It goes however through the deployment of a much larger contingent of OSCE observers and a renewed political initiative in Vienna where OSCE headquarters are based.

The UN Security Council cannot be of help. OSCE can. But it needs to be much bolder and much more assertive in terms of the European public opinion.