Ukraine boycotts OSCE gathering blackmails EU over Russian presence

A meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's parliamentary assembly has begun without the Ukrainian delegation, which described the planned presence of Russian lawmakers as “an affront.”

The two-day meeting of the normally low-profile assembly has been overshadowed by controversy over the Russians' attendance.

The Austrians said that, as host nation, they were obliged to grant visas to representatives from all 57 OSCE member states. Ukraine said it wouldn't attend if Russia was present, as did Lithuania.

The Vienna-based OSCE was created during the Cold War as a platform for dialogue between East and West. The group has a wide-ranging mission, including peace, human rights, arms control and other security issues.