The leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Poland said on Saturday when they first jointly visited Ukraine that if Russian President Vladimir Putin (Vladimir V.
“We are all calling Putin,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said at a press conference in the capital. “If he takes peace seriously, he has a chance to show it now.”
Mr Stamer said Europe strives to demand a truce to begin Monday, in close coordination with the White House, with no immediate comment.
The Trump administration proposed a 30-day ceasefire during talks in Saudi Arabia this spring, and Kiev has agreed. President Trump expressed his repeated frustration at the failure to make a deal. “If the ceasefire is not respected, the United States and its partners will impose further sanctions,” he said on social media.
On Saturday, U.S. envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, said on social media that a full ceasefire lasted 30 days and “will begin the process of ending Europe’s largest and longest war since World War II.”
During a press conference, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in a conversation with Mr. Trump that five leaders were crowded around the phone.
“Ukraine and all allies are ready to start a completely unconditional ceasefire on land, air and sea on Monday,” Mr Sybiha wrote on social media. “If Russia agrees and ensures effective surveillance, durable ceasefires and confidence-building measures can pave the way for peace negotiations.”
Before European leaders held a press conference on Saturday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri S. Peskov dismissed the threat of new sanctions, telling Russian broadcaster Rossiya-1 that the country is “accustomed to such pressure measures and knows how to minimize their consequences.” Russia remains opposed to any ceasefire unless Western countries stop providing military aid to Ukraine, according to Russian news agency Tass.
The visit of European leaders comes a day after Russia celebrates the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, during which President Vladimir V. Putin welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping and other foreign guests to a military march to Moscow to predict Russia's power, while Mr. Putin could reuse the global order in the global compliance with his terms.
Both events crystallize the ever-changing outline of the Ukrainian war and the wider geopolitical shift since Mr. Trump took office. In just a few months, Mr. Trump reversed the core tenet of U.S. foreign policy and presided over the weakening of transatlantic bonds, which helped put Europe on a path to peace in the wake of the disaster of World War II.
Currently, Ukraine is in trouble in a courageous Russia inspired by China, North Korea and Iran, with Europe scrambling to fill the gap left by the United States.
It has been more than 120 days since the United States announced new military aid to Ukraine. It is unclear whether the Trump administration plans to use the remaining $3.85 billion for additional withdrawals from the Department of Defense stock authorized by Congress.
Much of the pressure brought by Washington ends the fight against Kiev, although Trump has shown frustration with Moscow recently.
Daniel Fried, a former top U.S. diplomat and researcher at the Atlantic Council in Washington, said Ukraine’s U.S. and European policies are expected to converge, but there are still many tests.
He said that if Putin refuses a 30-day ceasefire, it will raise questions about whether the United States imposes more sanctions and provides more military aid, and the “moment of truth” will come.
He said that if there is a ceasefire, if Russia violates the armistice, the next test may be conducted.
“So, what will the US respond?” he said.
Mr Macron and Mr Stelmer, along with new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, began their visit to Kiev, paying solemn homage to thousands of Ukrainian soldiers who died in the battle, laying flowers in the capital's cereal memorial.
European leaders said they would discuss ways to strengthen Ukrainian military to ensure that future peace agreements prove any future peace agreements through what they call “a coalition of willingness.”
But the next few weeks will test whether Europe's determination and resources can match the scale of the challenge, as the outcome of the war becomes increasingly a problem for Europe to resolve.
Ukraine is competing to establish domestic arms production, with its European allies increasing military aid. Even if Russia agrees to a ceasefire, Ukraine and its allies believe that the only way to ensure lasting peace is through military strength.
