LUDOVIC MARIN / POOL / AFP
The leaders of France, Britain, Germany and Poland will make an unprecedented joint visit to Ukraine on Saturday for talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky, vowing to ratchet up pressure on Russia until it agrees to a ceasefire.
The trip by French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is the first time the leaders of the four European nations have made a joint visit to Ukraine.
More than three years into Russia's invasion, the hugely symbolic show of European unity comes a day after President Vladimir Putin struck a defiant tone at a Moscow parade marking 80 years since victory in World War II.
US President Donald Trump has proposed a 30-day unconditional ceasefire as a step to end the conflict.
But Putin has resisted so far.
"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.
"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," they added.
For Merz, who took office only this week, it will be his first visit to Ukraine as chancellor. 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," they 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.
