«Together with the United States, we ask Russia to agree on the complete and unconditional fire of 30 days to create the space for the interviews on a just and lasting peace”: four European leaders said it (Emmanuel Macron, Keir Starmer, Friedrich Merz and Donald Tusk) in a joint declaration before the visit to Kiev, where the Ukrainian president arrived this morning, Volodymyr Zelensky. “We are ready to support the peace talks as soon as possible, to discuss the technical implementation of the ceasefire and prepare a complete peace agreement,” they added. “We want to be clear: the spreading of blood must cease, Russia must stop its illegal invasion and Ukraine must be able to thrive as a safe, protected and sovereign nation within its borders recognized internationally for future generations”. The four leaders added: “We will continue to increase our support for Ukraine. Until Russia does not accept the lasting fire, we will increase the pressure on the Russian war machine ».
In an interview released on Saturday to the ABC news channel, the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitrij Peskov He said that the supplies of weapons from the allies of Ukraine must cease before Russia accepts a ceased. A truce would otherwise be an “advantage for Ukraine” at a time when “Russian troops are advancing … with a certain security” on the front, Peskov said, adding that Ukraine “is not ready for immediate negotiations”.
It is the first time that the leaders of the four European nations have made a joint visit to Ukraine. More than three years after the Russian invasion, this demonstration of European unity of symbolic value comes the day after President Vladimir Putin took on a tone of challenge during a parade in Moscow to celebrate 80 years from victory in the Second World War. The US president, Donald Trump, proposed a 30 -day unconditional fire to end to end the conflict. But Putin has so far resistance.