STARMER, MACRON AND MERZ POSE ON A TRAIN AS THEY CONTINUE TO PRESSURE PUTIN INTO CEASEFIRE

Sir Keir Starmer is heading to Ukraine with Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz as they continue to pressure Vladimir Putin into agreeing a 30-day ceasefire.

The leaders of the UK, France, and Germany are heading to Kyiv in what will be the first time the world leaders have convened in the Ukrainian capital since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will also meet the group for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a faction of the 'coalition of the willing' ramps up its efforts to halt Russia. 

In a joint statement issued before the visit, the leaders of Europe's four major military powers accused Putin of 'obstructing efforts to secure an enduring peace'. 

Their statement read: 'Alongside the US, 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 leaders said in a statement ahead of the visit.

'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 recognised borders for generations to come'.

'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.'

The warning from the group comes after US President Donald Trump proposed a 30-day unconditional ceasefire as a step to end the conflict on Thursday. 

He wrote on Truth Social: 'The US calls for, ideally, a 30-day unconditional ceasefire. If the ceasefire is not respected, the US and its partners will impose further sanctions.'

Since Trump took office in January, Putin has teased negotiators with suggestions he would accept a ceasefire - but his troops have continued to advance into the Ukrainian province of Dnipro.

Last month the Russian president announced a 30-hour truce to mark Easter, although sporadic fighting continued. 

And most recently, he declared a three-day ceasefire to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, a proposal that was rejected by Zelensky. 

Putin hosted China's President Xi in Moscow to watch a parade in Red Square to mark Victory Day on Friday.

In a speech at the event, Putin compared the Second World War to his 'special military operation' in Ukraine and said Russia 'was and will be an indestructible barrier against Nazism, Russophobia, antisemitism'.

For Merz, the visit to Ukraine will be his first since being elected as German chancellor this week, while Macron has not been to Kyiv since June 2022 when he visited with the former Italian and German leaders.

Merz previously suggested he could approve the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, a step considered too provocative by his predecessor, Olaf Scholz, given their range of more than 300 miles and potential use against targets inside Russia.

After meeting Zelensky in the morning, the group will 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.

Such a force 'would help regenerate Ukraine's armed forces after any peace deal and strengthen confidence in any future peace', their statement said.

Macron said Putin's 'belligerent comments' at the Red Square parade showed he remained 'on the side of war', but he also floated the idea that talks on territory could be held once a ceasefire starts.

Russia has occupied around a fifth of Ukrainian territory and has yet to respond to the pressure for an enduring ceasefire, and Trump is another who has said Ukraine may have to consider giving up territory.

The timing of the visit comes a day after Putin also hosted Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico - whose country is an EU member - at the Moscow parade.

It has raised concerns over growing fractures in European relationships, as Ukraine and Hungary each expelled two diplomats from the other's embassy in a showdown over spying allegations.

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2025-05-10T00:57:41Z