Vienna: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken are set to clash over the war in Ukraine at the annual meeting of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Malta on Thursday. While the conflict in Ukraine will dominate discussions, the meeting will also formally approve last-minute agreements, including the appointment of senior staff to the security and rights organization, where Russia is frequently accused by Western powers of violating human rights and international norms.

The gathering, which includes foreign ministers and other officials from 57 countries across North America, Europe, and Central Asia, is overshadowed this year by the upcoming inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. His advisers are reportedly suggesting proposals that would involve ceding significant portions of Ukraine to Russia in exchange for an end to the war.

With Trump set to take office in just over a month, Western powers are expected to reaffirm their support for Ukraine, while Russia is likely to continue its criticisms of the OSCE. Lavrov previously described the OSCE as being "essentially turned into an appendage of NATO and the European Union."

This marks Lavrov's first visit to the European Union since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The OSCE, originally created during the Cold War for East-West dialogue, has recently struggled, especially after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with Russia using its veto power to block key decisions, paralyzing the organization.

This year, however, the deadlock over the OSCE's budget has been caused by Armenia and Azerbaijan, due to their ongoing conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, rather than Russia. Diplomats confirm that a deal was reached this week to fill four senior OSCE positions, including the role of secretary-general, which will be taken by Feridun Sinirlioglu from Turkey, who served as foreign minister in a caretaker government in 2015.

The most significant annual decision—the country that will take over the OSCE's rotating chairmanship—has already been decided, with Finland set to hold the position in 2025, marking the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, which laid the foundation for the OSCE.