Ukraine, allies want truce with Russia starting Monday

The renewed unity between Ukraine's European allies and the United States is an encouraging sign, US political expert Clifford May has told DW.

The leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Poland held a meeting in Kyiv on Saturday, after which they proposed a 30-day unconditional ceasefire starting from Monday that they say was backed by US President Donald Trump.

Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz and Donald Tusk also said that Russia would face "massive" sanctions if Moscow does not comply.

That marks a shift by the Trump administration, which until recently had been reluctant to apply serious pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump has even blamed Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for blocking a peace deal.

"I think it's very good to see the unity of the European allies with the Trump administration on this, (that they are) on the same page," said Clifford May, a journalist, political activist and president and founder of The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD).

May highlighted how the leaders had all spoken of "pressure" in their remarks after the meeting in Kyiv, which he said "is very important."

"Actually applying pressure — that is what it's going to take to get Vladimir Putin to actually agree to a ceasefire," he added.

But May called for Ukraine's allies to do more than "threaten pressure."

"They will need to apply real economic pressure, and increase the munitions going to Ukraine," he said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has criticized Ukraine's European allies after they threatened "massive sanctions" against Russia unless it agrees to their US-backed 30-day ceasefire plan.

"We hear many contradictory statements from Europe. They are generally confrontational in nature rather than aimed at trying to revive our relations. Nothing more," Peskov told reporters in Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin "has repeatedly said that he is ready for contacts with any leaders", Peskov added. 

The Kremlin spokesman then said Moscow would consider the proposal, Russian state media TASS reported.

"We need to think about this. This is a new development. We have our own position," Peskov said.

Meanwhile, Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president, has dismissed the ceasefire proposal.

Writing in English on X, Medvedev, who is the current deputy head of Russia's National Security Council, accused the leaders of France, the UK, Germany and Poland of "blurting out threats against Russia."

"You think that’s smart, eh? Shove these peace plans up your pangender arses!," he said.

Although German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Saturday reiterated his country's support for Ukraine, he said discussions on the specifics of the military aid Germany sends to Kyiv should not be held in public.

In remarks to German television channels RTL and NTV, Merz insisted his government would continue "supporting Ukraine militarily as much as we can." 

However, when asked about whether he would be willing to send German Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, Merz clarified that the "measures we take together to end this war and what joint decisions we make to secure a possible peace in Ukraine are not matters for public discussion." 

"Under my leadership, the debate about weapons deliveries, caliber, weapons systems and so on will be kept out of the public eye," he added.

Since the war in Ukraine began, Germany has been one of the main suppliers of weapons to Kyiv.

Germany was quick to provide light weapons and equipment, but Merz's predecessor, Olaf Scholz, was at first hesitant to send heavy weapons such as battle tanks.

After a year of war had passed and amid mounting pressure both in Germany and abroad, Scholz eventually agreed to send German-made tanks to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia's invasion.

Unlike the US, the UK, and France, which have delivered guided weapons systems to Ukraine and expressly allowed them to attack targets in Russia, Germany has yet to provide Kyiv with its own Taurus long-range cruise missile system. 

However, in April, Merz said he would be open to delivering Taurus missiles to Ukraine as long as it is done in coordination with European partners. 

The leaders of Ukraine's European allies the UK, France, Germany and Poland reaffirmed their backing for Kyiv, praising the unity being shown at their meeting in the Ukrainian capital on Saturday.

At the meeting, they agreed on a proposal — which has also been backed by US President Donald Trump — to impose heavy sanctions on Russia unless Moscow agrees to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire. 

"All of us here, together with the US, are calling Putin out," UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.

He added that if Putin is "serious" about achieving peace, "he has a chance to show it now" by extending the three-day pause Russia instituted to mark VE Day (Victory in Europe) being celebrated this weekend "into a full, unconditional ceasefire." 

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also praised the unity of Ukraine's European and American allies, which had come under strain since Trump returned to the White House.

"For the first time in a long while, we feel that the entire free world is truly united," Tusk said after the Kyiv meetings.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also struck an optimistic tone, saying that their ceasefire proposal meant "there is now a small chance" that the war can end, especially given that the US was now on board.

"We are now very united," Merz said during an interview shown on German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF.

"Putin must know that he cannot divide the West," Merz said. "This is the biggest diplomatic initiative in recent months, if not years, to end the war in Ukraine."

French President Emmanuel Macron, meanwhile, reaffirmed his country's commitment to supporting Ukraine, both financially and militarily.

That backing, Macron said, would provide a framework for a "robust and lasting peace."

"Above all, we will continue to work to ensure that Ukraine has robust security guarantees, with a viable army structure" and "equipment that enables it to deter further attacks," he said.

Russia has rejected threats by Ukraine's Western allies of additional sanctions unless Moscow agrees to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire to end the war.

Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state media on Saturday that "trying to scare" Russia with the threat of sanctions "is a waste of time."

"We have all got used to the sanctions by now," Peskov said. "We even have an idea already as to what we will do after they are imposed, how we will minimize their consequences and so on."

Peskov added that Moscow would not be intimidated, and that Ukraine and its allies "are feeling antsy."

His remarks came after European leaders meeting in Kyiv had announced that US President Donald Trump had agreed to impose "massive" sanctions on Russia unless it agrees to a ceasefire.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has refused to agree to a 30-day truce without certain conditions, which include the West no longer delivering weapons to support Ukraine and the presence of Western peacekeeping forces on Ukrainian territory.

Ukrainian and European leaders meeting in Kyiv on Saturday said US President Donald Trump supports their proposal for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire starting from Monday.

The leaders of the UK, France, Germany and Poland said Russian President Vladimir Putin would face "massive" sanctions if he failed to comply with the proposed truce to end the war.

Earlier, Ukraine's foreign minister had said the European leaders had spoken to Trump over the phone during their Kyiv meetings.

Trump has previously been hesitant to apply heavy pressure on Putin, and has previously appeared to blame Ukraine for starting the war and for hindering a peace deal.

More recently, however, Trump's tone has changed after Russia failed to comply with a US-brokered ceasefire.
 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says it is now for the Kremlin to decide on whether a 30-day Ukraine ceasefire can become a reality.

She made her comments as Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Kyiv was ready for an unconditional ceasefire from Monday, with leaders from France, Germany, the UK and Poland meeting in the Ukrainian capital.

"Today, the Coalition of the Willing convened," said von der Leyen. "We support the proposal for a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire."

"It must be implemented without preconditions to pave the way for meaningful peace negotiations," she added. "The ball is now in Russia's court."

Von der Leyen said the bloc was prepared to take action against Moscow if there was no such undertaking.

"We stand ready to maintain strong pressure on Russia and impose further biting sanctions in the event of a breach of a ceasefire.

"Our objective is clear: a just and lasting peace for Ukraine, which is vital for security and stability across our continent."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Poland have held phone talks with US President Donald Trump.

The conversation came after the leaders met in Kyiv, Ukraine's foreign minister said.

"Following the Coalition of the Willing meeting in Kyiv, all five leaders had a fruitful call with (Trump) focused on peace efforts," Andriy Sybiga said in a post on X. 

At the same time, Sybiha said Ukraine was ready for a 30-day ceasefire with Russia from Monday.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned Russia will face more sanctions if it refuses a 30-day ceasefire, in an interview published on Saturday in the Bild newspaper.

If Russian President Vladimir Putin does not agree to the truce, "there will be a massive hardening of sanctions and the massive aid to Ukraine will continue -- politically, of course, but also financially and militarily," Merz said to the daily newspaper.

The German chancellor was visiting Kyiv on Saturday with the leaders of France, Britain and Poland.

"We agree with the US government, with [US President] Donald Trump. We are demanding a 30-day ceasefire so that peace negotiations can be prepared during this period," he said.

"The ball is now in Putin's court. Putin must respond to this offer." 

Ukraine's ambassador to Germany on Saturday said he expects Chancellor Friedrich Merz to announce new arms shipments to Kyiv.

"We very much hope that we will enter into these negotiations from a position of strength. I sense that the German-Ukrainian partnership with the new federal government, will be raised to a whole new level," Oleksii Makeiev told reporters.

The new German government under Merz wants to keep arms deals with Kyiv under wraps, sources told the German news agency.

Makeiev also said that Kyiv was ready for a ceasefire.
 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is hosting the leaders of France, Germany, Poland in Kyiv. 

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk are on their first joint visit to Ukraine.

The visit comes at an unpredictable diplomatic moment in Russia's more than three-year-long war against Ukraine, with US President Donald Trump  pushing for a quick peace agreement.

Trump called for a 30-day ceasefire and Zelenskyy said he would be ready to implement it immediately.

"We reiterate our backing for the President Trump's calls for a peace deal and call on Russia to stop obstructing efforts to secure an enduring peace," the European leaders said in a joint statement.

"We will continue to increase our support for Ukraine. Until Russia agrees to an enduring ceasefire, we will ratchet up pressure on Russia's war machine," they said. 

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also arrived in Kyiv by train on Saturday morning. 

"An important day lies ahead of us," he posted on X.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said leaders from the "coalition of the willing" will meet in Kyiv on Saturday.

He did not say who all would be in attendance, but added that it would be an important meet for European security. 

This coalition includes about 30 countries including Germany led by France and Britain, who are allied with Ukraine and willing to support it after a possible ceasefire.

The US is not part of this coalition, though President Donald Trump has urged Kyiv and Moscow to agree on terms of a ceasefire.

Kyiv has been calling on its European allies to send soldiers to enforce a potential ceasefire and ward off any potential future aggression by Russia, as well as urging them to increase sanctions. 

Russia supports the implementation of a 30-day ceasefire in the Ukraine conflict, but only with due consideration of "nuances" in the more than three-year-old war, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said late on Friday.

"This theme was long put forward by the Ukrainian side. And as soon as it was advanced by the (US administration of Donald Trump), it was supported by President (Vladimir) Putin with the reservation that it is very difficult to discuss this in detail if no answers are found to a large number of nuances around the notion of a ceasefire," Peskov said.

Russia has previously said that the introduction of a long-term ceasefire depends on the establishment of mechanisms to monitor and maintain such a move.

The leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Poland are visiting the Ukrainian capital, for talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The trip by French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is a hugely symbolic show of European unity.

It comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin struck a defiant tone at a Moscow parade marking 80 years since victory in World War II. 

Ahead of the visit, the four leaders called on Russia to "agree a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire" and warned that "we will ratchet up pressure on Russia's war machine" until it does.

On Friday, Zelenskyy announced in a video conference that the "coalition of the willing" would meet in Kyiv on Saturday.

The "coalition of the willing" is made up of around 30 countries and is led by France and Britain. They are all working on plans to help Ukraine after a possible ceasefire