European leaders tell Putin to agree to Ukraine ceasefire or face new sanctions

STEFAN ROUSSEAU / POOL PHOTO via REUTERS

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron visit the Memorial Wall of Fallen Defenders of Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, today.

KYIV, Ukraine >> Major European powers threw their weight behind an unconditional 30-day Ukraine ceasefire today, with the backing of President Donald Trump, and threatened President Vladimir Putin with “massive” new sanctions if he did not accept within days.

The leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Poland and Ukraine set the start of the ceasefire for May 12 at a meeting in Kyiv, during which they held a phone call with Trump.

“So all of us here together with the U.S. are calling Putin out. If he is serious about peace, then he has a chance to show it,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told a news conference. “No more ifs and buts, no more conditions and delays.”

Soon after the European leaders’ announcement, the Kremlin appeared to pour scorn on it.

“We hear many contradictory statements from Europe. They are generally confrontational in nature rather than aimed at trying to revive our relations. Nothing more,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by Russian news agency Interfax.

Western sanctions against Russia have been toughened repeatedly since its full-scale invasion in 2022, without ending the war. But following through on the threat would be a sign of growing Western unity after months of unpredictability in U.S. policy since Trump’s return to the White House in January.

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After engaging directly with Russian officials, clashing publicly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and briefly cutting vital military aid to Kyiv, Washington has patched up ties with Ukraine and signed an agreement giving the U.S. preferential access to new Ukrainian minerals deals.

Trump, who did not immediately comment publicly on the European leaders’ remarks, has also signalled frustration with what Washington views as Putin’s foot-dragging over a ceasefire.

“In the event that the ceasefire is violated, massive sanctions will be prepared, in coordination between the Europeans and the United States,” French President Emmanuel Macron said.

By imposing new sanctions, the White House would be aligning itself more closely with western Europe, which has been rattled by a trade war in which Trump has imposed tariffs on them and other countries and has suggested he might not come to the defense of NATO allies that underspend on their defense.

Zelenskyy said he and the visiting leaders had agreed the unconditional ceasefire must start on Monday and cover air, sea and land. If Russia refused, it would face new sanctions, including the strengthening of punitive measures targeting its energy and banking sectors, he said.

Peskov had been quoted as saying on Friday that Russia supported the implementation of a 30-day ceasefire, but only with due consideration of “nuances”.

In remarks to U.S. broadcaster ABC broadcast earlier today, Peskov had suggested Western military assistance for Ukraine must stop for a temporary ceasefire to take effect. “Otherwise it will be an advantage for Ukraine,” he said.

Macron said that if the ceasefire went ahead, it would be monitored mainly by the U.S. and European countries would contribute.

Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president who is now a senior security official, derided the idea of giving Russia an option between being sanctioned or giving Ukrainian forces an opportunity to rebuild.

“Shove these peace plans up your pangender arses!” he wrote on X.

The European leaders said the terms of a peace deal would be negotiated during the 30-day pause in fighting.

“We have no illusions that the ceasefire will be breached,” Zelenskiy said.

On the eve of the summit, the U.S. embassy in Kyiv warned of a “potentially significant” air attack in the coming days.

When the European leaders arrived in Kyiv by train today, a screen on the platform announced the arrival of the “Bravery Express”. Zelenskiy accompanied them as they paid their respects at a Kyiv memorial honouring Ukrainian soldiers killed in the war.

The visit falls on the final day of a May 8-10 ceasefire declared by Putin that Ukraine did not accept, denouncing it as a sham. Both sides have accused each other of violating it.

Reuters journalists at a field hospital near the front line in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region saw soldiers being brought in with combat injuries sustained since the Russian ceasefire began.

“There hasn’t been any ceasefire, shelling has continued just as before, drones are flying just like before, the same with explosives being dropped. Nothing has changed at all,” said a wounded soldier who gave his name as Stanislav.

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