Ukraine and its allies in Europe are upping their pressure on Russia to accept terms for a 30-day ceasefire that would begin as early as Monday.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Saturday that leaders of France, Germany, the UK and Poland — a partnership dubbed the “Coalition of the Willing” — met in Kyiv with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss terms for a temporary pause in fighting amid a war that has raged on for more than three years. President Trump also joined the meeting by phone, where the world leaders discussed “peace efforts.”
“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 wrote on social media platform X. “If Russia agrees and effective monitoring is ensured, a durable ceasefire and confidence-building measures can pave the way to peace negotiations.”
U.K. Prime Minister Keri Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz traveled to Kyiv to conduct the peace talks.
“A comprehensive (air, land, sea, infrastructure) cease fire for 30 days will start the process for ending the largest and longest war in Europe since World War II. As @POTUS has repeatedly said, stop the killing-now,” Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s envoy to Ukraine, wrote Saturday on X in response to the foreign minister.
The meeting comes on the heels of Trump’s push to broker a ceasefire in the Eastern European region and end the largest land conflict in Europe since World War II.
Trump has in recent months pressed both Ukraine and Russia to agree to a temporary truce. Ukraine is in favor of the month-long initial truce, but Russia has yet to come on-board. The president previously threatened to impose additional sanctions on the Kremlin if a deal wasn’t reached soon.
Both Secretary of State Marco Rubio — who has been involved in direct peace negotiations with Russian officials — and Vice President Vance have also voiced frustration with the lengthy process. The duo has threatened to pull out of negotiations if coming to an agreement takes much longer.
Macron spoke with Trump on Thursday, saying he had a “strong” conversation for a “unconditional 30-day ceasefire, as did our British and Nordic partners earlier this morning.”
Trump talked with Zelensky on Wednesday, after which he called for “ideally, a 30-day unconditional ceasefire.”
The president has loosened up the pressure on Zelensky in recent weeks as he has reupped calls for an end to the war. The two leaders appear to be on better standing compared to a contentious meeting at the White House in February — when Trump and Vance accused the Ukrainian leader of being insufficiently grateful for the support the U.S. has provided.
The two leaders met face-to-face in Rome while both attending Pope Francis’s funeral.
Doug, Klein, a policy analyst with Razom Ukraine, suggested the tide may be changing.
“This might be a sign that after months of bullying Ukraine and begging Russia for peace, the White House might finally understand that Ukraine has been a willing partner all along saying yes to every proposed ceasefire while Russia keeps killing,” Klein, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, said.
