Kyiv Hosts European Leaders in Unprecedented Joint Visit to Ukraine

President Volodymyr Zelensky hosted leaders of France, Britain, Germany and Poland in Kyiv on Saturday. The Europeans are making an unprecedented joint visit to Ukraine for talks meant to increase pressure on Russia to accept a ceasefire.

The trip by French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is the first time the leaders of the four European nations have made a joint visit to Ukraine.

The symbolic show of European unity comes on the heels of Moscow’s May 9 Victory Day parade, marking 80 years since victory in World War II.

Following the “Coalition of the Willing” meeting in Kyiv, all five leaders had a “fruitful call” with President Donald Trump, according to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha.

“Ukraine and all allies are ready for a full unconditional ceasefire on land, air, and at sea for at least 30 days starting already on Monday. If Russia agrees and effective monitoring is ensured, a durable ceasefire and confidence-building measures can pave the way to peace negotiations,” Sybiha posted.

US President Donald Trump has proposed a 30-day unconditional ceasefire as a step to end the conflict. But Russian President Vladimir Putin has consistently found a way to sidestep any commitment to an unconditional ceasefire that would represent more than a token gesture to placate American wishes.

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Indeed, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha slammed Russia’s proposals for brief Easter and May 9 ceasefires, each around 72 hours, as a “farce,” saying Russian forces continued to attack across the entire front line.

“Alongside the US, we call on Russia to agree to a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create the space for talks on a just and lasting peace,” the leaders said in a statement ahead of the visit.

They added: “We are ready to support peace talks as soon as possible, to discuss technical implementation of the ceasefire, and prepare for a full peace deal. We are clear the bloodshed must end, Russia must stop its illegal invasion, and Ukraine must be able to prosper as a safe, secure and sovereign nation within its internationally recognized borders for generations to come.”

In their statement the leaders reiterated: “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.”

Russia is the main stumbling block

For Merz, who took office only this week, this will be his first visit to Ukraine as chancellor, AFP reported. Macron has not been to Kyiv since June 2022 when he went with the Italian and German leaders of the time.

In the talks with Zelensky they will make their “steadfast commitment to Ukraine,” the statement said.

“We, the leaders of France, Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom will stand in Kyiv in solidarity with Ukraine against Russia’s barbaric and illegal full-scale invasion,” the statement said.

“We reiterate our backing for President Trump’s calls for a peace deal and call on Russia to stop obstructing efforts to secure an enduring peace,” they added.

After meeting Zelensky in the morning, they are to host a virtual meeting to update other European leaders on moves to create a European force that could provide Ukraine with security after the war, AFP reported.

Such a force “would help regenerate Ukraine’s armed forces after any peace deal and strengthen confidence in any future peace,” the statement said.

Repairing Europe’s cracks

After meeting Tusk in France on Friday, Macron called for the speedy drawing up of a US-Europe plan for the 30-day truce that would be backed by “massive economic sanctions” if one side “betrays it.”

Finland’s President Alexander Stubb said at a meeting in Norway on Friday to discuss Ukraine that the “United States has two sanctions packages on the table” and that countries were discussing action in the “banking and the energy sector,” AFP reported.

Macron pointed out Putin’s “belligerent comments” at the Red Square parade and how they showed that the Russian leader wants to continue the war. But Macron also conceded that talks about territory could only be held once a ceasefire starts.

The visit comes a day after Putin hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping as well as Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, whose country is an EU member, at the Moscow parade.

A French presidential official, who asked not to be named, told AFP that the visit, just four days after Merz took office, “demonstrates Europe’s unity, strength, and responsiveness. And it mirrors Putin’s celebrations.”

But Europe’s divisions were highlighted when Fico went to Moscow for its military parade on Friday. Ukraine and Hungary in turn each expelled two diplomats from the other’s embassy in a showdown over spying allegations.