The leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Poland paid tribute to the soldiers fallen in the war against Russia at the start of their visit to Kyiv on Saturday (May 10) in a show of unity a day after Russia's Vladimir Putin hosted his allies at a Victory Day parade in Red Square, Reuters reports.
The visit by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk represents the first time the leaders of the four countries have travelled together to Ukraine.
"Alongside the U.S., we call on Russia to agree a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create the space for talks on a just and lasting peace," the four leaders said in a joint statement. The European Union has joined the call for a 30-day ceasefire.
The visit comes at an unpredictable diplomatic moment in Russia's more than three-year-long war against Ukraine. U.S. President Donald Trump is pushing for a rapid peace after tearing up the policies of his predecessor since entering the White House in January.
After engaging directly with Russian officials, clashing publicly with Zelenskiy and briefly cutting vital military aid to Ukraine, the Trump administration has patched up ties with Kyiv and signed an arduously-negotiated mineral resources deal.
Trump has threatened to step up sanctions against Russia, but he has also said he could abandon the peace effort if there is no breakthrough. He called on Thursday for a 30-day ceasefire and Zelenskiy said he would be ready to implement it immediately.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying on Friday that Russia supported the implementation of a 30-day ceasefire, but only with due consideration of "nuances".
