The leaders of Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Poland urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a 30-day ceasefire, starting on Monday, or face potential severe sanctions, as stated by French President Emmanuel Macron during a significant visit to Kyiv.
The demand comes with the backing of the White House after a joint phone call with President Donald Trump, the Europeans said.
During a momentous visit to Kyiv, French President Emmanuel Macron, alongside Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, were joined by the leaders of Germany (Chancellor Friedrich Merz), the United Kingdom (Prime Minister Keir Starmer), and Poland (Prime Minister Donald Tusk), in calling for the ceasefire to be respected on land, at sea, and in the air.
The timing of this call for a ceasefire coincided with Russia’s May 9 Victory Day, a day in which the country commemorates the defeat of Nazi Germany. Notably, this year saw Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brazilian leader Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in attendance as guests of President Putin at the annual parade in Moscow.
Ukraine has reported many hundreds of Russian attacks along frontline locations during the ceasefire period, though missile and Shahed drone attacks on Ukraine’s cities have not been seen since Wednesday.
In a rare – though not unprecedented – move, the US embassy in Kyiv issued a security alert on Friday warning it had intelligence suggesting a possible “significant air attack that may occur at any time over the next several days.”
