No breakthrough, Poland says, as OSCE envoys stick to scripts on Ukraine

Zbigniew Rau, whose country holds the chairmanship of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) this year, said that for progress to be made, the organisation's members would need to enter into real dialogue. "It's hard to speak about any breakthrough," he told a news conference after opening a weekly meeting of the OSCE's 57 participating states.

Talks on Thursday aimed at seeking an end to the impasse regarding Russian security demands including that Ukraine be permanently denied membership in NATO failed to yield a breakthrough, Poland's foreign minister said. Zbigniew Rau, whose country holds the chairmanship of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) this year, said that for progress to be made, the organisation's members would need to enter into real dialogue.

"It's hard to speak about any breakthrough," he told a news conference after opening a weekly meeting of the OSCE's 57 participating states. "Some of the participating states believe that it's enough to make a statement and not to participate in debate." An official familiar with discussions said envoys at the meeting had all read out prepared statements rather than engaging in genuine discussions.