Ukraine's allies push for 30-day ceasefire starting Monday

From 2nd 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 locomotion astatine the Presidential Palace successful Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday May 10, 2025. Stefan Rousseau/PA Pool hide caption

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Stefan Rousseau/PA Pool

KYIV – Four European leaders joined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy successful Kyiv contiguous successful pressing Russian President Vladimir Putin to judge a 30-day unconditional ceasefire – oregon look much sanctions connected Russia.

"The ceasefire indispensable beryllium comprehensive: successful the air, astatine oversea and connected land," Zelenskyy told reporters. "It is rather imaginable to show the ceasefire successful coordination with the United States of America, this is truly realistic. The ceasefire should past for 30 days to springiness diplomacy a existent chance."

Zelenskyy said the radical had "spoken to President Trump together. We agreed connected our communal presumption of our further actions."

"All of america here, unneurotic with the U.S., are calling Putin out," added British premier curate Keir Starmer. "If he's superior astir bid past helium has a accidental to amusement it now."

This ceasefire could commencement arsenic aboriginal arsenic Monday, if Russia agrees to it. That seems unlikely. Russian quality bureau Interfax quoted Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov connected Saturday saying "We perceive galore contradictory statements from Europe. They are mostly confrontational successful quality alternatively than aimed astatine trying to revive our relations. Nothing more." Putin besides continues to property Kyiv to surrender ample parts of eastbound and confederate Ukraine that Russian forces person failed to occupy.

Starmer, on with the leaders of France, Germany and Poland, traveled unneurotic to Kyiv successful their archetypal associated quality to instrumentality portion successful a virtual gathering of the "coalition of the willing," which includes mostly European nations who would assistance Ukraine if determination is simply a durable ceasefire aft much than 3 years of Russia's full-scale war.

Those joining by video nexus included Italy's Giorgia Meloni, Canada's Mark Carney, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

This was the archetypal sojourn to Ukraine by the caller German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, a beardown Ukraine advocator who assumed bureau connected May 6. Merz said connected Saturday that if Russia rejects the ceasefire proposal, Europe volition support defending Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who called Ukraine "the beating bosom of Europe" – documented the leaders' travel by bid connected Instagram and posted a video of the radical with Zelenskyy and Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska visiting a memorial to the warfare dormant successful cardinal Kyiv. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said it was "symbolic" to conscionable successful Kyiv, a metropolis that faces near-daily Russian attacks, and showed "the spot of our unity."

Hanna Palamarenko contributed reporting from Kyiv