Sharon Hodgson (upper left) chairs the remote meeting of the Parliamentary Support Team for Ukraine, 10 December 2025VIENNA, 10 December 2025 – OSCE parliamentarians met online today to co-ordinate activities and strategies in support of Ukraine amid Russia’s ongoing full-scale war of aggression. Chaired by Sharon Hodgson (United Kingdom), the meeting opened with a comprehensive update on the Parliamentary Support Team for Ukraine (PSTU)’s activities and a briefing by Artur Gerasymov, Deputy Head of the Ukrainian Delegation to the PA and Vice-Chair of the Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment.

Participants underscored the importance of sustained international parliamentary solidarity with Ukraine, especially in the context of current peace negotiations, in line with the Assembly's Declarations. Members also reflected on the priorities of the PSTU, particularly following the recent Autumn Meeting in Istanbul. PSTU Special Rapporteur Boris Dittrich (Netherlands) highlighted his main areas of activities in relation to the three detained OSCE officials – Dmytro Shabanov, Maksym Petrov, and Vadym Golda. 

PSTU Co-Chair Joe Wilson (United States) expressed his appreciation for the PA’s leadership on supporting Ukraine and highlighted the strong support in the U.S. for the Ukrainian people. The session concluded with an open debate in which participants exchanged views on the most pressing challenges facing Ukraine and co-ordinated future actions by the PSTU, including the continuation of public messaging initiatives which were praised.

Today’s meeting also covered the ongoing efforts of OSCE PA Special Envoy on Russian Abductions and Deportations of Ukrainian Children Carina Ödebrink (Sweden), who has been active networking with other international organizations in support of returning the abducted children to their homes.

Carina Ödebrink addresses Ministerial Council side event in Vienna, 4 December 2025Last week, Ödebrink joined high-level representatives from over 40 nations and international organizations at an OSCE side event during the Ministerial Council on 4 December to address Russia's systematic deportation, indoctrination, and militarization of Ukrainian children. Titled “Justice and Humanity: Returning Abducted by Russia Ukrainian Children to Their Families,” the event highlighted the urgent need for accountability and the safe return of thousands of affected minors amid Russia's ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine.

Organized by the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the International Organizations in Vienna and moderated by Ukraine's Permanent Representative Yurii Vitrenko, the panel featured foreign ministers and experts calling for intensified global efforts.

In her keynote address, Carina Ödebrink emphasized the violations of international law, stating, “Russia’s deportation of Ukrainian children violates the Geneva Conventions—the prohibition on deportation, the protection of identity and civil status, and the preservation of family unity. These acts also constitute war crimes.”

She stressed the need for sustained support to Ukraine, including stronger sanctions, and the need to ensure that the fate of these children is at the heart of every diplomatic effort.

Ödebrink also spoke on this topic today at a meeting of Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, one of Germany’s major political foundations, where she was joined by Tobias Winkler, Head of Delegation to the OSCE PA and Rapporteur of the Committee on Political Affairs and Security.

For more information on the work of the Parliamentary Support Team for Ukraine, please click here.