The leaders of Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Poland arrived in Kiev for meetings with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, CNN reports. Friedrich Merz, Emmanuel Macron, Keir Starmer and Donald Tusk arrived together at the main railway station in Kiev, where they were greeted by Zelensky's chief of staff Andriy Yermak.
Their visits are a sign of renewed diplomatic activity aimed at achieving a truce between Russia and Ukraine. There is much work to be done and many issues to discuss. This war must end with a just peace. Moscow must be forced to agree to a ceasefire, Andriy Yermak said.
The European leaders' first stop was Kiev's Independence Square, where they paid tribute to fallen Ukrainian soldiers. Ukraine has called for an immediate, unconditional 30-day ceasefire, something that US President Donald Trump has also insisted on. Russia has so far refused to commit, saying it supports the idea of a 30-day ceasefire but insists there are nuances that need to be addressed first.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that one of these nuances is the suspension of US and European arms supplies to Ukraine. Vladimir Putin has often spoken of the need to address the root causes of the war, and in particular NATO's expansion to the east.
On the social network Truth Social, US President Trump announced that if the ceasefire is not respected, the US and its partners will impose additional sanctions on Russia. Trump’s inauguration in January has brought a complete shift in the US diplomatic focus on the war in Ukraine.
European leaders have convened a series of meetings aimed both at showing the US that Europe can do more to support Ukraine militarily and at providing a united voice calling on the US president not to side with Russia in the war.
A just and lasting peace begins with a complete and unconditional ceasefire. This is the proposal we are advancing with the United States, Emmanuel Macron said on the social network X. Ukraine accepted the ceasefire proposal on March 11. But Russia is delaying, setting preconditions, buying time and continuing its war of invasion. If Moscow continues to obstruct, we will increase the pressure – together, as Europeans and in close coordination with the United States. We welcome President Trump’s call to move forward in this direction, he added.