Ukraine is ready for a ‘full, unconditional ceasefire’ with Russia for 30 days starting on Monday, its top diplomat says.
The leaders of France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Poland have arrived in Ukraine for talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and have put pressure on Russia to agree to a 30-day ceasefire as a step to end the three-year conflict.
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived together by train from neighbouring Poland on Saturday. Later, they were joined by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
“There is a lot of work to do, a lot of topics to discuss. We must end this war with a just peace. We must force Moscow to agree to a ceasefire,” said Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, posting photographs welcoming the leaders off the train.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said later on Saturday that his country and its allies are ready for a “full, unconditional ceasefire” with Russia for at least 30 days starting on Monday.
United States President Donald Trump has proposed a 30-day unconditional ceasefire as a step to end the conflict. But Russian President Vladimir Putin has resisted so far.
Symbolic, yet practical
It is the first time the leaders of the four European nations have made a joint visit to Ukraine.
More than three years into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the hugely symbolic show of European unity comes a day after Putin struck a defiant tone at a Moscow parade marking 80 years since victory in World War II.
Reporting from Kyiv, Al Jazeera’s Zein Basravi said the quartet’s visit was “symbolic”, practical meetings were taking place, and the leaders were trying to “keep the US on side moving forward with any sort of talks”.
After the meeting, Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the five leaders held a phone call with Trump to discuss their peace efforts.
“If Russia agrees and effective monitoring is ensured, a durable ceasefire and confidence-building measures can pave the way to peace negotiations,” Sybiha said on X.
Following the Coalition of the Willing meeting in Kyiv, all five leaders @ZelenskyyUa @EmmanuelMacron @bundeskanzler @donaldtusk @Keir_Starmer had a fruitful call with @POTUS focused on peace efforts.
Ukraine and all allies are ready for a full unconditional ceasefire on land,… pic.twitter.com/MEfbtjtE4m
— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) May 10, 2025
‘Just and lasting peace’
“Alongside the US, we call on Russia to agree [to] a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create the space for talks on a just and lasting peace,” the leaders said in a statement in advance of the visit.
“We are ready to support peace talks as soon as possible, to discuss technical implementation of the ceasefire, and prepare for a full peace deal,” they added.
The statement said: “The bloodshed must end, Russia must stop its illegal invasion, and Ukraine must be able to prosper as a safe, secure and sovereign nation within its internationally recognised borders for generations to come.”
The leaders promised to continue to increase their support for Ukraine, saying, “Until Russia agrees to an enduring ceasefire, we will ratchet up pressure on Russia’s war machine.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with the ABC News channel on Saturday that arms deliveries from Ukraine’s allies must stop for Russia to agree to a ceasefire.
A truce would otherwise be an “advantage for Ukraine” at a time when “Russian troops are advancing … in quite a confident way” on the front, Peskov said, adding that Ukraine was “not ready for immediate negotiations”.
Russia has occupied about a fifth of Ukrainian territory and has yet to respond to the pressure for an enduring ceasefire.
Trump has also said Ukraine will have to consider giving up territory, such as the Russian-annexed Crimean Peninsula, but has expressed growing impatience with Russia’s refusal to halt the fighting.
