The leaders of France, Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom arrived together at the train station in Kyiv, where they met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Shortly afterwards, they laid flowers at a makeshift flag memorial for fallen Ukrainian soldiers at Kyiv’s Independence Square during a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
The visit marked the first time the leaders of the four countries have travelled together to Ukraine, while Friedrich Merz is making his first visit to Ukraine as Germany’s new chancellor.
Along with US President Donald Trump, the European leaders are pushing for Russia to agree to a 30-day ceasefire to allow for peace talks on ending the conflict. In March, the United States proposed an immediate 30-day truce in the war, which Ukraine accepted, but the Kremlin has held out for ceasefire terms more to its liking.
“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,” the leaders said in a joint statement. “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.”
Ukrainian presidential aide Andriy Yermak wrote on his Telegram: “There is a lot of work, a lot of topics to discuss. We need to end this war with a just peace. We need to force Moscow to agree to a ceasefire.”
Later in the day, the leaders were expected to host a virtual meeting alongside Zelenskyy to update other leaders on the progress being made for a future so-called “coalition of the willing” that would help Ukraine’s armed forces after a peace deal and potentially deploy troops to Ukraine to police any future peace agreement with Russia.
