Ukraine and allies urge Putin to commit to a 30-day ceasefire or face new sanctions

Leaders from four major European countries threatened to ratchet up pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin if he does not accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine.

Leaders from four major European countries threatened to ratchet up pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin if he does not accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine that they offered on Saturday in a strong show of unity with Kyiv.

The leaders of France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Poland said their proposal for a ceasefire to start on Monday was supported by U.S. President Donald Trump, whom they had briefed over the phone earlier in the day.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Saturday told CNN that Moscow will need to consider the proposal. Earlier that day, Peskov reiterated Russia’s claim that it was ready for peace talks with Ukraine “without preconditions”, and accused Kyiv of blocking those.

Russia’s own unilateral three-day ceasefire, declared for the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany expires Saturday, and Ukraine says Russian forces have repeatedly violated it. In March, the United States proposed an immediate, limited 30-day truce, which Ukraine accepted, but the Kremlin has held out for terms more to its liking.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking to reporters alongside the European leaders in Kyiv, called their meeting “a very important signal.”

In a joint statement, as published on Zelenskyy’s official website, the five leaders called for a ceasefire “lasting at least 30 days” from Monday, to make room for a diplomatic push to end the war.

“An unconditional ceasefire by definition cannot be subject to any conditions. If Russia calls for such conditions, this can only be considered as an effort to prolong the war and undermine diplomacy,” the statement read.

French President Emmanuel Macron said that the U.S. would take the lead in monitoring the proposed cease-fire, with support from European countries, and threatened “massive sanctions … prepared and coordinated, between Europeans and Americans,” should Russia violate the truce.