Ukraine, Kiev's European leader urges Moscow to agree to “unconditional” ceasefire
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Saturday that Ukraine and its allies are ready for a “completely unconditional ceasefire” with Russia starting at least 30 days from Monday.
His speech came as leaders of four major European countries visited Kiev, amid efforts to agree to a truce and end peace talks that ended nearly three years of war. They followed what Sybiha said was a “constructive” call between them, US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Saturday was also the last day of Russia's three-day ceasefire. Ukraine accused the Kremlin of repeatedly violating the ceasefire.
In March, the United States proposed a direct limited 30-day truce, and Ukraine accepted the truce, but the Kremlin reportedly had put forward better conditions.
Four European leaders arrived at Kiev train station together on Saturday and met with Zelenskyy shortly after their 80th anniversary at the end of World War II. Since the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, they have lit candles in the temporary flag memorial for the temporary Ukrainian soldiers and civilians to kill fallen Ukrainian soldiers and civilians.
This is the first time that four European countries have traveled to Ukraine together. For Friedrich Merz, this is his first visit to Ukraine as Germany's new prime minister.
“We reaffirm President Trump's support for the call for a peace agreement and call on Russia to stop obstructing efforts to ensure lasting peace,” the leader said in a joint statement.
“Along with the United States, we call on Russia to agree [to] A complete and unconditional 30-day ceasefire creates space for conversation for just and lasting peace. ”
Russia has been attacking the frontlines about 1,600 kilometers, including a deadly strike on residential areas.
On Thursday, Sybiha called Russia's three-day ceasefire an “farce” accusing Russian troops of violating more than 700 times in one day when it officially came into effect. On the same day, both sides also said that the attack on their troops had been continuing.
Russia appears to be heading in the opposite direction when the United States tries to push Ukraine toward a ceasefire. CBC's Terence McKenna looks at the latest moves and why some think Vladimir Putin may have tried to manipulate Donald Trump through his billionaire real estate buddy.
On Saturday morning, local officials in the northern part of Ukraine Sumi said that in the past day, Russian shelling killed three residents and injured four more. Another civilian man died Saturday after a Russian drone attacked Hesson in the southern city, according to regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin.
French President Emmanuel Macron said in a speech at a reporter in Kiev: “The situation in Poland, Germany and the UK is a historic moment for Europe's defense, moving towards greater independence for our security. Obviously, for Ukraine and all of us, it is a new era. It is a new era. It is a force in itself.”
Trump said last week he suspected Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to end his war in Ukraine, and expressed new suspicion that a peace deal could be reached soon and hint at further sanctions on Russia.
In the months since Trump returned to the White House, progress to end the war seems elusive, and his previous claims about an upcoming breakthrough failed to come true. The U.S. president had previously pushed Ukraine onto Russian territory to end the war, threatening to walk away if the deal becomes too difficult.
Ukraine's European allies view the end of the war as the basis for security on the African continent, and pressure is increasingly looking for ways to support Kiev in military terms, regardless of whether Trump withdraws or not.
Ukrainian presidential aide Andrii Yermak met with European leaders at the main train station in Kiev, who wrote on the telegraph messaging platform earlier on Saturday: “There is a lot of work, a lot of topics to be discussed. We need to end this war with a fair peace. We need to force Moscow to agree to a ceasefire.”
Later in the day, leaders began a virtual meeting with Zelenskyy to introduce other leaders to the progress of the so-called “voluntary alliance” in the future, which will help Ukraine's armed forces after the peace agreement, and potentially deploy troops to Ukraine to Ukraine along with Russia's future peace agreement to Ukraine.
