Ukraine and European allies call for 30-day truce with Russia starting Monday
Source: CNN World
Updated 7:08 AM EDT, Sat May 10, 2025
Kyiv, Ukraine CNN — Ukraine and its European allies have called for Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a 30-day ceasefire, which could start as early as Monday, after the leaders of Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Poland arrived in Kyiv on Saturday. Friedrich Merz, the new German Chancellor, French President Emmanuel Macron, Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk arrived together Saturday morning at Kyiv’s main railway station. Shortly afterwards, they met with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The meetings are a sign of a renewed diplomatic urgency aimed at achieving a ceasefire in the war between Russia and Ukraine, which is grinding on despite US efforts to broker peace. “There is much work to be done and many issues to discuss. This war must be ended with a just peace. Moscow must be forced to agree to a ceasefire,” Zelensky’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak wrote on his Telegram channel.
Ukraine, supported by the Europeans, has been calling for an immediate unconditional 30-day ceasefire, something that US President Donald Trump is also demanding. The European leaders in Kyiv had a “fruitful call” with Trump on Saturday which was “focused on peace talks,” Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, said in a post on X. “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,” Sybiha continued, adding that a “durable ceasefire” could pave the way to full-scale peace negotiations if Russia agrees.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said in a post on X that he had joined a call with more than 20 world leaders on Saturday morning to “advance efforts to ensure a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.” “This starts with a 30-day unconditional ceasefire and must be underpinned by continued, concrete support,” Rutte added.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/10/europe/european-leaders-kyiv-ukraine-visit-intl