Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked Malta for having hosted a peace meeting last October while hosting Foreign Affairs Minister Ian Borg in Kyiv.

Borg was in the Ukrainian capital on behalf of the Organisation of Security and Co-operation in Europe, which Malta is currently chairing.

It was the first time that the two met.

In a brief statement on X, Zelensky said the October peace talks had elevated the discussion to a “new, high level”.

He urged Malta to direct the OSCE’s efforts towards returning unlawfully deported Ukrainian children to their families.

The October peace talks involved representatives of 66 countries and international organisations, though Russia and China were not among them.

Malta assumed the chair of the OSCE, the world’s largest regional security body, after the previous candidate, Estonia, dropped out following opposition by Russia.

The trip to Kyiv was Borg’s first foreign trip as OSCE chair. Apart from meeting with the Ukrainian president, Borg also visited the Ukrainian villages of Borodyanka, Bucha and Gostomel, which have been battered by war following Russia’s invasion.

He also met with Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba, to discuss in further detail Ukrainian priorities for the OSCE.

Ian Borg being given a tour of Ukrainian villages.

Accompanied by Ambassador Marcel Peško, Special Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine, Borg was also given a presentation of the work that the OSCE officials are doing in Ukraine.

"This first visit as Chairperson-in-Office emphasises our determined commitment that, as OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and also as Malta, the Ukrainian cause remains a priority on the international agenda," Borg said.