From second left, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk walk at the Presidential Palace in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday May 10, 2025.
Stefan Rousseau/PA Pool
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Stefan Rousseau/PA Pool
KYIV – Four European leaders joined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv today in pressing Russian President Vladimir Putin to accept a 30-day unconditional ceasefire – or face more sanctions on Russia.
“The ceasefire must be comprehensive: in the air, at sea and on land,” Zelenskyy told reporters. “It is quite possible to monitor the ceasefire in coordination with the United States of America, this is really realistic. The ceasefire should last for 30 days to give diplomacy a real chance.”
Zelenskyy said the group had “spoken to President Trump together. We agreed on our common view of our further actions.”
“All of us here, together with the U.S., are calling Putin out,” added British prime minister Keir Starmer. “If he’s serious about peace then he has a chance to show it now.”
This ceasefire could start as early as Monday, if Russia agrees to it. That seems unlikely. Russian news agency Interfax quoted Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Saturday saying “We hear many contradictory statements from Europe. They are generally confrontational in nature rather than aimed at trying to revive our relations. Nothing more.” Putin also continues to press Kyiv to surrender large parts of eastern and southern Ukraine that Russian forces have failed to occupy.
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