European leaders in Kyiv call for ceasefire : NPR

KYIV – Four European leaders joined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv today in pressing Russian President Vladimir Putin to accept a 30-day unconditional ceasefire – or face more sanctions on Russia.

“The ceasefire must be comprehensive: in the air, at sea and on land,” Zelenskyy told reporters. “It is quite possible to monitor the ceasefire in coordination with the United States of America, this is really realistic. The ceasefire should last for 30 days to give diplomacy a real chance.”

Zelenskyy said the group had “spoken to President Trump together. We agreed on our common view of our further actions.”

“All of us here, together with the U.S., are calling Putin out,” added British prime minister Keir Starmer. “If he’s serious about peace then he has a chance to show it now.”

This ceasefire could start as early as Monday, if Russia agrees to it. That seems unlikely. Russian news agency Interfax quoted Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Saturday saying “We hear many contradictory statements from Europe. They are generally confrontational in nature rather than aimed at trying to revive our relations. Nothing more.” Putin also continues to press Kyiv to surrender large parts of eastern and southern Ukraine that Russian forces have failed to occupy.

Starmer, along with the leaders of France, Germany and Poland, traveled together to Kyiv in their first joint appearance to take part in a virtual meeting of the “coalition of the willing,” which includes mostly European nations who would assist Ukraine if there is a durable ceasefire after more than three years of Russia’s full-scale war.

Those joining by video link 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 first visit to Ukraine by the new German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, a strong Ukraine advocate who assumed office on May 6. Merz said on Saturday that if Russia rejects the ceasefire proposal, Europe will keep defending Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who called Ukraine “the beating heart of Europe” – documented the leaders’ journey by train on Instagram and posted a video of the group with Zelenskyy and Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska visiting a memorial to the war dead in central Kyiv. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said it was “symbolic” to meet in Kyiv, a city that faces near-daily Russian attacks, and showed “the strength of our unity.”

Hanna Palamarenko contributed reporting from Kyiv