Russia's top diplomat Sergei Lavrov accused the OSCE of becoming an "appendage" of NATO and the European Union on Thursday, in a speech slamming the West as Moscow's Ukraine invasion drags on. 

The OSCE (Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe) was founded to ease tensions between the East and the West during the Cold War. 

It helps its members co-ordinate on issues like human rights and arms control, but Moscow has increasingly accused the group of turning away from its founding principles.

"The OSCE is essentially being turned into an appendage of NATO and the EU," Lavrov said at a meeting of OSCE foreign ministers in the North Macedonian capital Skopje. The meeting is expected to appoint Malta to chair the organisation for the coming year. 

"The organisation, let's face it, is on the edge of a precipice. A simple question arises: does it make sense to invest in its revitalisation?" he added.

Lavrov made the rare trip to a country that has sanctioned Russia and had to ask permission to fly over EU airspace to get there. 

Russia's repeated criticism has fuelled speculation it could pull out of the OSCE altogether, cutting another fragile line of communication with the West.

Ukraine has called for Russia to be excluded from the OSCE and boycotted the Skopje meeting over Lavrov's presence. 

The organisation sends observers to conflicts, as well as elections around the world. It also runs programmes that aim to combat human trafficking and ensure media freedom.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, it has struggled to operate as Russia has blocked all major decisions, which require consensus.